Trans people have always been here — two generations talk about what's changed - Voice of Asia

Dr. Jess Hulley recalls watching fragments of the famous Kings Cross revue, "Les Girls," during her childhood in the 1960s. The transgender rights pioneer and retired academic said she felt a strong resonance at the time, realizing she was somehow connected to those performers.

"Les Girls" was promoted as a "men in dresses" show at the time, but many of the performers were actually transgender women, including the show's star, Carlotta. Dr. Hulley said she couldn't quite put her finger on the feeling at the time, nor did she recall the word "transgender" even existing back then.

In those days, performers risked exposing themselves to a public that was often hostile towards transgender people. Dr. Hulley recalls that transgender people living in Kings Cross, working in revue shows and sex work, were often harassed, beaten, and even raped. She commends those women who bravely presented themselves in the shows, considering them incredibly brave and fearless.

In the past, "transsexual" was often used to describe people who had undergone surgery or taken hormones to affirm their gender. Now, "transgender" is considered a more inclusive and respectful term to refer to people whose gender identity differs from the gender they were assigned at birth, regardless of whether they have undergone medical interventions.

Dr. Hulley, now 71, later pursued an academic career, teaching sociology. Today, she reflects on the history of the transgender community with Flynn Sant, a transgender male musician nearly 50 years her junior (stage name flowerkid). Flynn, 23, grew up in an era where transgender people are more visible than ever. The two participated in the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) iview series "OK Boomer, OK Zoomer," which pairs an older LGBTQ+ person with a younger LGBTQ+ person to discuss how queer life has changed over time.

Although Dr. Hulley saw herself in Carlotta many years ago, there was little representation of transgender men in the media at the time. Decades later, Flynn was able to draw inspiration from pioneering transgender men like Canadian actor Elliot Page, star of the film "Juno." After Page came out as transgender in 2020, his character on the Netflix series "The Umbrella Academy" also transitioned, a move praised by Page and the transgender community. Flynn stated that he thought it was a really great representation of a trans person, and that there was no tragic ending, which he found very comforting.

Today, the visibility of transgender people online is unprecedented, with thousands sharing their personal experiences on social media. Many, like American transgender non-binary runner and inclusivity advocate Cal Calamia, use social platforms to highlight the importance of gender-affirming care, especially at a time when transgender rights are under threat internationally. Calamia shared on Instagram that four years post-op, gender-affirming care saved her life, which is what's being fought for in courthouses across the United States.

Back in the 90s, Dr. Hulley was inspired to start advocating for her community, realizing that transgender people were severely lacking in rights and protections. In 1996, she became involved in an action group called the "Transgender Liberation Alliance," which successfully lobbied the New South Wales government to include transgender people in the protections of the Anti-Discrimination Act. At the time, there were reportedly around 10,000 transgender people in New South Wales, whose employment would be protected from discrimination.

The government also amended the law to allow those who had undergone what was then known as "sex reassignment surgery" to update their birth certificates. Dr. Hulley recalls that the success of this legislation at the time was quite extraordinary, and that it was very progressive legislation for its time. However, even with the progressive legislation, the surgery requirement in the birth certificate legislation was controversial within the transgender community.

At the time, Dr. Hulley and her colleagues at the Transgender Liberation Alliance felt that the requirement was discriminatory because it distinguished people based on their genitals, and it was unfair because gender-affirming surgery now costs between $40,000 and $60,000 in Australia, making it very expensive and inaccessible to everyone. They eventually decided to accept the requirement, and the New South Wales government compensated them with anti-vilification legislation. It wasn't until last year that the New South Wales government passed the Equality Bill, allowing transgender people to change their birth certificates without surgery.

Flynn grew up enjoying many of the freedoms that Dr. Hulley fought for. He recalls the immense joy he felt in 2018 when he embraced his transgender male identity and got his first short haircut. He remembers feeling so excited when he could feel the shaved side and couldn't stop touching it. He cried in the shower after getting his first short haircut because it was the first time he felt affirmed and alive.

Dr. Hulley considers participating in the 1995 Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras parade—on one of the earliest transgender pride floats—to be one of her most affirming moments. She said she had been to the parade and watched the parade before, but had never been in it. Being on the float and feeling the love from strangers on either side of Oxford Street, blowing you kisses, telling you they loved you, was one of the greatest experiences of her life. After walking down Oxford Street, you feel 10 feet tall, it's amazing.

It has been 30 years since Dr. Hulley and her comrades in the Transgender Liberation Alliance achieved legal reforms in New South Wales, improving the lives of thousands of transgender people. Today, she is proud of the progress her community has made, but the feeling is bittersweet. Her colleagues in the Transgender Liberation Alliance are no longer alive. Dr. Hulley said that the stress that transgender women are under, the trauma that we experience, is often so great that our lives are cut short because of it. She believes they would be amazed if they could see the progress that has been made today.