Trans people have a long history in Appalachia - but politicians prefer to ignore it

by G. Samantha Rosenthal
Associate Professor of History, Roanoke College


In recent public debate throughout the South, transness – the fact of being transgender – is framed as a kind of new social contagion.

Count me among the afflicted.

When I first moved to Appalachia in 2015, I expected to find a hostile environment for my own transition. Instead, I met trans people of all ages whose stories demonstrate that there is nothing new about being transgender in southwest Virginia.

Yet this remarkable history is all but forgotten.

When politicians frame transgender youth as a new phenomenon, they ignore the fact that gender nonconforming young people have existed for generations. Without a historical perspective, decisions can be made that negatively impact young people.

For example, recent legislation in the South has focused on prohibiting transgender youths from a variety of activities, including school athletics and lifesaving health care.

Read more: https://theconversation.com/trans-people-have-a-long-history-in-appalachia-but-politicians-prefer-to-ignore-it-169013