Casa Susanna: the story of the first trans network in the United States, 1959-1968

Uittreksel

"The photographs in this book were mostly discovered in 2004, in a New York flea market. Their remarkable survival has opened up the world of the first trans network in the United States. Made in the late 1950s and 60s in the Catskill Mountains, these snapshots chronicle the experiences of men who dressed as women, gender nonconforming people, and trans women in states of relaxation, experimentation, connection and joy. All of this was made possible by Susanna Valenti who on her own journey toward womanhood-created Casa Susanna, a protected space where others could crossdress and live freely as women. Supplementing the images are excerpts from Transvestia, a magazine that allowed those who had been cast out by a rigidly binary society to connect in a different medium. The people who came to Casa Susanna found a spot where they could explore and celebrate their own and each other's femininity, as they could not do elsewhere. Their creations are also a reminder that there were, and still are, many ways to explore the boundaries of gender."-- On front flap of dustjacket.

Inhoud

Introduction / Susan Stryker -- The story of the first trans network in the United States, 1959-1968 / Isabelle Bonnet -- Performing authenticity: Casa Susanna's crossdressers and photography / Sophie Hackett.