Timeline of UK Transgender History

This is a Timeline of UK Transgender History. It is intended to cover the full range of trans life in the UK in the widest sense, including transgender, transvestism, intersex, etc...

Earlier centuries

 * 850s – A woman from Wimborne Minster is supposedly elected Pope Joan.
 * 1395 – John Rykener arrested for cross-dressing.
 * 1682 – Arabella Hunt's marriage is dissolved as her husband is discovered to be a woman.
 * 1766 – Princess Seraphina appears in court.
 * 1766 – The Chevalier d'Éon (Charles-Geneviève-Louis-Auguste-André-Timothée d'Éon de Beaumont), comes to live in England (until 1777, returning in 1785).
 * 1865 – James Barry, army surgeon, dies and is allegedly found to have been a woman.
 * 1871 – "Fanny" and "Stella" (Ernest Boulton and Frederick Park‎) acquitted of sodomy and cross-dressing.
 * 1880 – The police raid a drag ball in Manchester.

20th century

 * 1920 – Havelock Ellis coins the term "Eonism after the Chevalier d'Éon.
 * 1951 – Roberta Cowell (previously Robert Cowell) has gender reassignment surgery and has her birth certificate changed from male to female.
 * 1960 – April Ashley has gender reassignment surgery.
 * 1960 – Georgina Turtle (previously George Turtle) has her birth certificate changed from male to female.
 * 1966 – Founding of trans organisation the Beaumont Society.
 * 1968 – the Home Secretary confirms that Sir Ewan Forbes is male and can succeed to the baronetcy, despite having been registered and originally brought up as female.
 * 1971 – the Corbett v Corbett case, involving April Ashley, establishes the precedent that a person's sex could not legally be changed from what it was at birth.
 * 1972 – release of trans-related film, I want what I want.
 * 1972 – Composer Wally Stott becomes Angela Morley.
 * 1984 – Adèle Anderson joins Fascinating Aida.
 * 1989 – Rose's club founded.
 * 1995 – Mermaids founded for children with gender dysphoria.
 * 1998 – The fictional character Hayley Patterson (later Hayley Cropper) is introduced in Coronation Street, played by Julie Hesmondhalgh
 * 1998 – Trans Day of Remembrance founded (in the USA; later in the UK and worldwide).

21st century

 * 2004 – Gender Recognition Act 2004 allows people to legally change gender.
 * 2005 – Stephen Whittle and Christine Burns receive OBE and MBE.
 * 2005 – First Sparkle celebration in Manchester.
 * 2007 – Murder of Kellie Telesford.
 * 2007 – Jenny Bailey elected Mayor of Cambridge
 * 2008 – Stewards at London Pride tell Roz Kaveney she can't use the ladies'.
 * 2009 – Murder of Andrea Waddell and Destiny Lauren.
 * 2010 – Sarah Brown elected to Cambridge city council.
 * 2010 – Bernard and Terry Reed receive OBEs.
 * 2010 – Death of Sonia Burgess.
 * 2011 – Death of Roberta Cowell (not made public until 2013).
 * 2011 – Murder of Suzie Morl
 * 2012 – Murder of Chrissie Azzopardi.
 * 2012 – Jackie Green competes in Miss England.
 * 2012 – Launch of Meta magazine, edited by Paris Lees.
 * 2012 – Intersexion, about the lives of Intersex people, gets second prize in the Derek Oyston Film Award.
 * 2012 – Luke Anderson wins Big Brother.
 * 2013 – Suicide of Lucy Meadows following press harassment.
 * 2013 – Death of Georgina Somerset (née Turtle).