Correspondence, Care, and Camaraderie in 20th-Century US Trans Histories

AHA Session 100
LGBTQ+ History Association 5
Saturday, January 4, 2025: 10:30 AM-12:00 PM
Murray Hill West (New York Hilton, Second Floor)
Chair:
Nic John Ramos, Drexel University
Papers:
Corresponding Change: Exploring the Role of Letter Writing and Pen Pal Communities in the Formation of Mid-20th-Century Trans Medicine
Emmett Harsin Drager, University of Missouri
The House on Poof Corner: Microhistories of Trans Women’s Lives in 1970s Minneapolis
Myra Billund-Phibbs, University of Minnesota
"Correspondence Is a Very Important Part of the Transvestite Lifestyle": Community, Discipline, and Care in Mid-20th-Century Trans Feminine Periodical Networks
Chris Aino Pihlak, University of Toronto
Brother from Another Mother: FTM Peer Support Groups in the United States and the Making of Trans Worlds, 1980–2000
Elio Colavito, University of Toronto
Comment:
Nic John Ramos, Drexel University

Session Abstract

This session explores the manifold contributions of social and affective life, networks of information and knowledge circulation, and communication technologies in structuring individual and collective consciousness, norms and cultural expectations, and political formations in 20th century trans communities in the United States. Examining epistolary practices, affective and social life, periodical networks, and mutual support groups, it presents a restructuring of histories of trans political formation and cultural production to argue for the importance of collective life, friendship, and interpersonal communication.
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