Years ago she came to give a speech at my college. I had the honor of interviewing her at that time. She was a wonderful person who opened up the mind of this naive Wisconsin girl to the process involved in transitioning and how it was not taken lightly. Today I have several dear friends in the trans community and I thank this woman for helping me understand their journey.

In 1952, I was 7 years old. I remember my parents speaking about this in bits and pieces. I was from an Italian family, so anything my parents didn't want my older sister and I to understand or know about, they spoke in Italian. All I knew was that a sailor went overseas and came back a woman. I never questioned it or even thought about it. Later on in life, at 19, I moved to L.A.. Looking at the address on a letter addressed to her in this video, I found she had lived up the street from me . Little did I or my parents ever realize I was gay. I didn't realize that until I was 23 ! Life ! What a ride !

My grandfather, a carpenter, did work on her Long Island home way back when. He had nothing but good things to say about her.

I was in awe at how gracious and polite she was when answering questions for the press. Very old school lady like mannerisms, I love it 🥰

For some reason I read her book when I was a teenager.. I just thought nothing but wow how brave and how amazing that medicine can do this! Nothing else even entered my mind. No laughter no rolling of eyes no disbelief just it was what it was.

She was a brave pioneer, and everyone who believes all people should be respected, included and honored in society should consider her a role model.

I've thought about her many times lately. Thanks for covering her. Such a fascinating person.

Fascinating woman! I was very young when I first heard about her during a party at my parent's house & this was years after her change (I was not born yet in 1952) and I had only recently also learned the word "queer" in regards to female relative so I eavesdropped and it was definitely positive commentary. My parents were very progressive for the day so fast forward years later when we had several gay relatives who were always loved & accepted by all of us & to this day I will be the auntie to anyone who needs a mom figure because of shabby parents.

shes such an icon and incredibly gorgeous as well, may she always know how much she shaped transgender history

I dealt Blackjack to her several times at the Vegas Sands in, I think, 1972. A warm and gracious lady, and I mean LADY, as she carried herself with as much poise and decorum as any charm-schooled female I've ever met. She was friends with singer/pianist Frances Faye, who I used to see in the lounge shows quite often in those days.

For better or worse, Christine Jorgensen set the bar for transitioning and which continues to be followed by those of us decades later. I for one, having grown up in semi-isolation in rural America in the 1950s her appearance in Life Magazine was my only exposure to the existence of anyone on the planet who was like me.

I was 4 years old in 52, but I remember Christine, my family were pretty progressive back then because they explained it to me. I have an excellent memory of this time of life, I can remember back to diaper days , so 4 was pretty far along, for me. I also remember the Queens coronation.

How odd .. I was only four years old and on 1 December 1952 my brother had just turned three, but I remember this event as if it were yesterday. I didn't realize the significance of it though at the time.

I do hope the archive footages from this get posted somewhere for us all to enjoy and watch.

I understand many early mtf transexuals were given wax-filled breast implants, I believe this was during the 1960's, and well before silicone was used for implants. I don't remember where their surgeries were done using wax, only that it was very uncomfortable in winter. Besides the technologies in plastic and reconstructive surgery, the social acceptance of trans people has greatly improved and yet has gone backwards with fear-mongering. In this woman's case, I certainly hope she did attain happiness in her life.

This was so well done! I wish it was longer.

I had forgotten about Christine Jorgensen. She was news for sure. But as a babyboomer, she was more sensational than unusual. We did fight for women's lib. But her navigation thru the gay community at that time was difficult. I remember the activists Sylvia Rivera and Marsha P. Johnson, fighting for the rights of transgender or "queens" back in the day. They still are fighting. Now they fight the fears of parents thinking transgendering can be taught thru Black History AP classes or thru books. Their struggle is real and they face more opposition now than ever thanks to the fear mongerers most of whom are GOP leaders who are just using this fear uneducated, homophobic people have. Bravo to PBS for bringing this docu.

She spoke at Eastern Montana College in the late 60s or 70s. The auditorium was full. When I left, I remember thinking that she was so like me even tho I was and am a straight woman with no desire to change that. No one booed or protested. It was more curiosity that brought people there. To this day I believe there are trans people. I do, however, question the number of them in todays world. Btw, my father had a drag queen cousin (born in the late 1902) who also professed an unproven sex change. Rae Boubon

thank you so much for sharing this, now more than ever it’s so important to remember and share lgbtq history❤ happy pride everyone

Jorgensen toured as Mame in the stage play "Auntie Mame" and got rave reviews from critics and audiences alike.

She was definitely a beautiful woman and very brave.

My mom told me about her, many years ago. I was in my early teens. Not sure how it came up. I went to the library and got her autobiography. It was fascinating.

Way ahead of the times was Christine. Everytime I hear clips of her speak, I'm reminded of Joan Crawford. I believe they were cordially acquainted around this time. Fascinating piece of 🌈 history.

The early movies don’t seem like she had a typical middle class class upbringing, riding clothes? Lol ❤️ I’m so happy she was able to be her true self.

She clearly didn’t grow up “working class,” though. From the videos to her accent, she grew up in the upper class. I loved the rest of this fascinating video - I had no idea people even transitioned in the 50s! She was glamorous, courageous and beautiful.

As a child of the 50s I remember Christine's name being spoken more than once. My memories are that harsh words were not uttered...at least not around us. Much respect.

Christine went to Europe as a man and came back as a gorgeous, articulate, classy woman. That was an amazing transformation that had been waiting to happen for quite some time.

She really had great stage presence and energy that gave her the ability to stand out and stand tall to the world of her day !

I was a small child when Christine Jorgenson had the surgery so I only know about her later. She had to put up with the problems of beiing one of the first persons to have to put up with the publicity and try to live a sort of normal life. She did the best she could. Fortunately, there is more counseling and the process in a lot more mdern thsn it once was. It better accepted but we still see the stigma againsr it that transgender person and children still have to face. I know a couple of transgender women and they are no different than any other woman. It's wonderful that people can be the gender they want to be and not suffer being a mistake of nature.

I always thought Christine Jorgenson was more warm and womanly than that diva, Joan Crawford. And more feminine! I do remember hearing her speak of her "penectomy" when I was a teen. Now that shook me up, totally! Too much information, babe!

I met her in a favorite gay bar in Dallas in 1980. She in her party of 3 people and I in my party of 3 people were the only customers there, so we engaged in minor conversation at the bar. I was 25 years old at the time and was well aware of her and her story.

Ellen De Generes said once SHE did not want to be a poster girl for lesbians. But I think if you are 'first' at going public with anything 'controversial'.... (in this case Christine Jorgensen and his/her gender change)...then it carries with it a kind of notoriety. Like it, or not. But also, you do have a chance, since it is dropped upon you - to speak out and share your life and experiences with others who may in fact be facing similar questions about their gender.

She was very brave & very classy.

I wish I could have met her

This was great

My doctor friend recently examined a Trans (it was a man that look like woman) with urinary problems. Never disclosed that was born XY male. Diagnosis was prostate cancer.

She was banned from t.v. in the beginning .

I’m sorry but her range is immaculate. She was definitely a superstar 💖

I feel so bad for her, and all the pain she went through with how people treated her. She was beautiful.

Now do one on the composer, Walter "Wendy" Carlos.

there are transgenders who came just after CJ and they weren't forced to be "performers", who worked in the field that they studied in.

What a brave and truly inspirational woman! Such a shame this documentary shows how little things have changed since trans men and women still face prejudice in some areas of society all these years later.

She knew she had to embody the social expectations of womanhood. Our social expectations have changed. Well spoken, well mannered, impeccably presented and polite are not part of the new trans trend.

We need a massive movie documentary on this. No transphobes know her story. We need to retell this story.

This woman is highly regarded in the community and I know it’s been years but because of her she made the way possible for many girls some regard her as an idol I am just honored to know her And I admire her strength through everything that happened and she never let it stop who she wanted to be I can’t say the same for Caitlyn Jenner the biggest joke for the LGBTQ community everybody thought she would be an asset to us but she wasn’t I have no respect for her I don’t care what she does in her life from now on I don’t care about anything that goes on in her life either Because she will never, and I mean, never compared to Christine Jorgensen

Patient zero was William Dorsey Swann this was the second patient

9:18 I think I see Gloria Romero and Eddie Gutierrez 😮

I imagine it must be hard living under that much scrutiny. I don’t think I’d like that as a straight person. Makes me wonder why the public announcement, not because I’m for or against trans. But I don’t understand bringing that much attention to myself. My gender, sexual orientation, religion, race or even financial status don’t define who I am because I’m the sum of many things. So I don’t quite understand focusing in on and having everything you are being defined by what gender you are.

Why does surgery "affirm gender" if born anatomy does not ?

Very elegant and dignified.

Poise and grace for miles. Goals.

Damn y’all got her with Divine !!!! ❤

This piece is an absolutely lovely look at a piece of history that feels like it was erased from the typical American history book.

I had just arrived that year, June 1952, Martian floatilla over Washington in July 1952. Coincidence? Hmmmm😮

I can understand how bad it must be to live with people knowing you're transgender. I once knew a trans who was 6'3" and I'm fairly certain most people who saw her knew, or suspected, she was a male. She told me there would sometimes be men that would try to hit on her. Even though she tried to ignore this fact, but I would bet they were sexually turned on by the thought of having sex with a male in drag and with a penis. She was in such denial about it. It's like some of the negative comments here by men: on one hand they are disgusted by it, but on the other hand they're sexually curious.

Great story! Amazinng really

That scene in the swimming pool was exactly like Marilyn Monroe. I am so happy to say that I have her autograph. What a very brave and kind person.

I see many of these videos where it says they felt different, I did but I thought it was normal and that everyone thought the same. It was only in the last year or so those were confirmed and proven not be be "normal", in fact to be extremely rare, the second of three males on the planet. I have two genetic conditions which sets me apart but it makes me wonder what everyone else who thinks they are males or female think. I have Klinefelter's Syndrome 47XXY which means I have an extra X gene but also ensures I am male as it only affects males. Had I not had KS I would have been intersex as I am 50/50 male female, equal amounts of 46XX & 46XY but they are also mixed, the geneticists say it looks like I have been through a blender. It does make sense now, why at age 13 I really wanted a pair of breasts and that I didn't think that was unusual. It appears that in my early life my female half had a lot of control and after puberty the male started taking over. Unfortunately, the healthcare system will only investigate a problem but will not continue and find out the whole story, that would have to be done privately. I still am a male but I have open feelings about sex but I am not in any way attracted to males, only females but convincing transgenders are not out of the question. I am also confused as to where I fit in but that's another story.

Gorgeous and gracious - from beginning to end. Bravo!

My Great Uncle taught her to dance!

Yes, this person was deemed a celebrity, but guess what this person also wasn’t trying to go into women’s sports

What language is this?

I think it helped that she was quite attractive and passable.

Jane Russell had nothing to worry about

What a brave woman to do what she wanted to do for herself and not for anyone else in the entire world. She lived her life the way she felt was the best for her. She was not here to please others, because it's none of your business to know why, etc. She was a beautiful person with a sweet soul and a bravery than none of you will ever own.

Such a icon ❤

That video of Christine performing at a Supper club was filmed in Manila The Philippines, during one of her overseas engagements..🤔

She died from bladder cancer Intresting to know if it Was related the sex change Surgary years later

I hope people will soon stop their bigoted views on transracial people too!

Such an amazing person who discovered her inner and outer womanhood…an amazing life lived authentically ❤my greatest respect and admiration

I'm so tired of hearing gender that I was assigned at birth.

Did he really think that he could represent the ultimate womanhood? This was never ok and it is a pity that the media promoted him. This should have have been a personal matter.

0:52 He's gonna live until He dies well He's dead now oh well

I think this should be seen by Congress, they should show it during session.

There is not a single thing about her, that showed she was a male. She looked beautiful.

I remember the headlines when this all came out it was outrageous. It made me sick because it was odd At the time I was too young to absorb it Even today I don’t understand it.

What strikes me most is she cant act, sing or dance yet insisted on doing so. she was very poised, articulate, put together, polite etc. tastefully dressed always. but really needed to stop trying to be an entertainer.

Why is KZfaq not allowing down votes for this story? Asking for a friend...

I think her story needs to be made into a movie❤❤❤

A trailblazer

I remember this all too well. Back in 1952 the majority of people didn/t know what a 'transexual' really was . They thought that a man who became a woman was a GAY man who wanted to be a woman . Period. It was not even talked about much. An off-beat touchy subject . Gays were only called homosexuals which was an ugly unspoken word to most . Most gay boys were in-the-closet ofcourse . They were scared to death that someone may find out that they were a homosexual they would be disgraced , gossiped about , may loose their closest friends not to mention what their own family would think . For years there were many suicides by young sweet nice young boys because they were a homosexual. The reason I'm bringing this up is because Christine Jorgensen caused a lot of talk , talk, talk among us teenagers . At the time it put more gays in the closest if that were possible .

WHAT'S SO FASCINATING IS THAT JORGENSON, & AUTHOR OF "CONUNDRUM" , RENE RICHARDS, AND BRUCE JENNER..ALL DID VERY MANLY THINGS, I.E., SPORTS, CLIMBING MT. EVEREST, SERVED IN MILITARY...THEN REALIZED THEY WERE NOT THOSE "MEN" THEY THOUGHT OR FELT THEY WERE.😮😮😮😮 BE KIND, YOU NEVER KNOW WHAT JOURNEY PEOPLE ARE ON IN THEIR LIVES👍👍😍😍😍👍👍

Female brain in that head there's a male and female brain that animated her body was male at the time

An icon and a doll 💛

J'ai l'impression que c'était un désir d'un homme bourgeois riche, il revient en femme dans un milieu privilégié que pour une certaine caste, et non pas la majorité de la population, ensuite elle chante dans des cabarets, aussi fréquenté par une classe, pour le monde de la nuit, encore un milieu pas fréquenté par la majorité des bourgeois, mais encore une minorité de personnes vivant la nuit............

If being publicly trans was illegal, how was she able to be a public figure? I feel there is a story there, equally interesting.

Question: Who created you and if it was a mistake then why?

She was a class act ❤

We aren't "assigned" sex at birth. It is what it is from the beginning.

It is quite clear that she was not brought up in an average home. The riding clothes , traveling and the accent are all upper class.

I am a woman. I was born female. I knew, far back as I remember, I knew I was meant to be a boy. I used to cry every night that I was a boy. This was in the 1970s I told my parents and they allowed me to dress as a traditional boy and choose a male name, which was exciting. My family did neither encourage not discourage me. It just was. I lived like this until puberty, which was very unpleasant and traumatic. It was high school peer pressure that made me decide to try to be a girl. I grew up, became well educated in my chosen field, which was traditional for women, married, had children. I am remember those childhood years, as Christopher Phillip, the happiest days-of my life.

I'll pass.

Just goes to show that today's generation...once again... aren't the pioneers of accepting different people...

“Susan Stryker” isn’t fooling anyone at all. I have to say, except for her horrible singing voice, Jorgensen looked much better as a woman.

As a gay man, I am pondering this whole situation. Firstly, "Christine" came from a background of privilege ( the riding lessons, expensive clothing and expensive color movies ). Christine had a wardrobe of clothing, shoes, etc. that the average woman could not afford. Was this a bit of 1952 "media frenzy", because I am scrutinizing this and seeing a previously feminine gay man transformed by plastic surgery. Christine had some unfortunate facial features that were obviously corrected by a surgeons scalpel ( The ears that stuck out, the nose, etc ). There was corrective facial surgery that anyone could have ( male or female ). Christine was put on a massive doses of estrogen to make "her" more delicate and stop the male pattern baldness. The puzzling issue is that "Christine" had the penis and testicles removed in 1952, but a vaginoplasty was not possible until 1959 ( At least her's was not ). How could that have been considered a "woman". The voice, mannerisms and face make "Christine" appear as a very "expensive drag queen"… Lastly "Christine" could not achieve an orgasm after the castration and penis removal, and an orgasm is one of life's best pleasures.. I am perplexed as to why someone would do this. I am not trying to be evil or negative, but there is a good deal to question. Most "transgender" persons I have seen are feminine gay men with exaggerated mannerisms and a lisping voice attempting to be a woman ( Some not so great looking ). I am far from perfect, but I am not the lisping, dramatic "fairy" that many perceive as the "typical gay male"..

Patient zero

My god it’s so hard to be the first of anything. What’s even worse is having to be on all the time.. I’m sure she must have wanted to yell, JUST LET ME BREATHE !

All this stuff started in new Tory and California makes me sick

All I can say is WOW! What a trailblazer.

She had a deep voice like Marlene Dietrich and perhaps could have even passed for her sister.