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Who is Virginia Prince?
Virginia Charles Prince, originally named Arnold Lowman, was a pioneer in the transgender community. Born in Los Angeles, California on November 23, 1912, she was brought up in a Protestant family and was assigned male at birth. Prince’s journey of self-discovery began at the tender age of twelve when she started cross-dressing using her mother’s clothes. By high school, she was frequently passing as a girl in public, a defining moment of which was when she attended a church Halloween party dressed as a woman and won the first prize. This marked her first deliberate public appearance as a girl. Raised in a well-to-do family, with a surgeon father and a real estate investor mother, Prince lived a life of privilege. In 1960, she made a significant contribution to the transgender community by publishing the first issue of “Transvestia” magazine, a publication dedicated to cross-dressers.
What made Virginia Prince famous?
Sylvia Rivera’s rise to prominence can be attributed to her fervent activism within the LGBTQ+ community. Her journey began after being embraced by local drag queens, including Marsha P. Johnson, who became a significant figure in her life. She found a sense of belonging within this eclectic community of drag queens and street hustlers that congregated on 42nd Street. Rivera’s activism took flight in 1970 when she joined the Gay Liberation Front’s Drag Queen Caucus and the Gay Activists Alliance at the age of 18. Her advocacy was not only for gay rights, but she also championed the inclusion of drag queens within the movement. Despite some controversies over her claims of involvement in various social movements, her dedication to LGBTQ+ rights and her close relationship with Marsha P. Johnson cemented her place in history.
Is Virginia Prince trans?
Rasmussen gained prominence through his diverse roles in public service and the arts. Despite an unsuccessful run for the House in 1998 as a Democrat, where he secured 41% of the vote, he continued to contribute to his community. His political career included serving as a city councilor, where he was known for his fiscal conservatism and social liberalism, until January 2009. Rasmussen’s influence also extended to the arts, as he co-owned Silverton’s 1936 Palace Theater, a venue for first-run movies since 1974. His life and contributions were celebrated in the 2013 musical, Stu for Silverton, which premiered at Seattle’s Intiman Theatre. Sadly, Rasmussen passed away from prostate cancer on November 17, 2021, aged 73.