The Forgotten Transgender History of the American Wild West

March 6, 2024
ARIANA LEVI

Let's dive into the forgotten transgender history of the American Wild West!

The American Wild West, stretching from the late 1800s to the early 1900s, is often portrayed as a lawless and rugged frontier in popular culture. Understanding the experiences of transgender individuals during this time is complex, owing to several factors, including the limited historical records specific to transgender experiences and the evolving definitions and understandings of gender identity over time. However, drawing from the broader context of gender non-conformity and the historical accounts that do exist, we can paint a picture of what life might have been like for transgender people during this era. They shouldn't still be known as part of a forgotten transgender history of the American Wild West.

In some instances, the fluidity of social roles on the frontier allowed for a greater degree of gender variance than might have been permissible in more settled areas or the societies many people had emigrated from. The necessity of hard work and the scarcity of women in some areas meant that people were sometimes judged more by their contributions than by strict adherence to gender norms. This could provide a space for trans people to live in roles that felt truer to their gender identities.

Here are historical figures who might today be understood as transgender or gender non-conforming:

Joseph Lobdell (born Lucy Ann Lobdell) lived as a man in the 19th century and was known as "The Female Hunter of Delaware County." However, when he surfaced in Meeker County, Minnesota, he became known as “The Slayer of Hundreds of Bears and Wild-Cats.”

In 1912, Harry Allen was arrested in Portland on the charges of “white slavery,” as he had traveled across state lines with a woman named Isabelle Maxwell, a sex worker who was posing as his wife. Maxwell was Allen’s partner, and the two had fled across the region to stay one step ahead of the law.

Despite examples of individuals living according to their authentic selves, it was still marked by strict societal norms and laws. Trans people likely faced significant risks, including legal repercussions, violence, and societal ostracization if their gender non-conformity was discovered. Laws against cross-dressing or impersonation were in place in various jurisdictions and could be used against those who did not conform to gender expectations. Portland police sentenced Harry Allen to 90 days in jail for “vagrancy”—one of those vague charges that stood in for gender non-conformity. The transient nature of frontier life, with people constantly moving and communities rapidly changing, could offer opportunities to assume a new identity without the weight of past expectations. This community became part of the forgotten transgender history of the American Wild West.

Understanding the lives of transgender people in the American Wild West requires sensitivity to the limitations of historical records and an awareness of how contemporary perspectives on gender and sexuality influence our interpretations. These stories, though incomplete and mediated through the lens of their time, offer valuable insights into the complexity of gender non-conformity in an era of American history that remains deeply mythologized. By piecing together these narratives, we can honor the memory of those who lived on the margins of the frontier, recognizing their struggles and contributions to the tapestry of American history.