Christine Jorgensen: A Personal Autobiography

by Christine Jorgensen

This handsome reprint of Jorgensen's 1967 memoir makes it abundantly clear how moments of grace can descend on even the most ordinary of lives. When ex-G.I. George Jorgensen went to Copenhagen in the early 1950s to consult experts in sexual deviance, he was afraid they'd simply proclaim him a fairy. A full battery of hormonal and psychological tests revealed that, while he was drawn to men, he was no garden-variety homophile; he was a lady. Keeping the secret from his family, Jorgensen endured a groundbreaking series of operations, finally emerging in November 1952 as a delicately beautiful young woman. "I merely wanted to correct what I considered a misjudgment of Nature," wrote Jorgensen, who died in 1989. No one seeing the photographs included here (many of them new to this edition) can doubt the success of Jorgensen's transformation or wonder too long at the fascination she engendered back home, where a newspaper bought her story for $20,000 and she was proclaimed New York City's Woman of the Year. A stage and screen career soon followed. As Susan Stryker points out in a new introduction, Jorgensen offers a somewhat flattering and selectively abridged account of herself in the autobiography, but no more so than any plucky girl smiling her way through what must have been, at times, a harrowing and lonely journey, but one that she conducted with remarkable dignity. --Regina Marler

Genres: LGBT, Queer, Nonfiction, History, Gender, Memoir, Transgender

Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1967

About the author

Christine Jorgensen (born George William Jorgensen, Jr.) was the first widely known person to have sex reassignment surgery.

Reviews

[Jacob · Rating 3 out of 5]

important piece of queer history, but I wish it had been juicier :(

wdym you worked in the New York night club scene and don't have a single anecdote about what the nightlife was like?? wdym you almost got MARRIED to a man you only mentioned on one page and then never again?? like girl don't be shy just spill the tea 😩

[Russell Sanders · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fifty-five years after its publication, Christine Jorgensen, A Personal Autobiography is still a relevant and timely book. Jorgensen, for those who don’t know, was the first American transgender. (Note: there were no doubt others before her, but Jorgensen was the first to have surgery and live openly.) Unhappy with her male characteristics, she went to Denmark in 1951 to explore new treatments and surgeries there. It was there she began hormone therapies and eventually had two surgeries. Her return to the US was met with a publicity thunderstorm she never wanted. As a result, with all this notoriety, Christine admits her only career avenue was show business for she was far too noted to just assume a simple, private life in a small town somewhere. As a result, she became an accomplished night club entertainer and well-received and lauded actress in the theater. Jorgensen’s story is amazing in that so many of her trials and tribulations, both public and private, are the same as transgender persons face today. Many accepted her; many reviled her. An “incident” happened during one of her Las Vegas appearances that points toward the “bathroom” controversies of today—the idea that a transgender woman should not be allowed to use the women’s restroom. In Jorgensen’s case, the press reported the showgirls who were working in her act refused to share a dressing room with her. And, mirroring today’s restroom controversies where most do not care if a transgender woman is sharing the next stall, Jorgensen, as the star, had her own dressing room and thus, it was a fabricated controversy. In fact, the showgirls collectively wrote her a note proclaiming none of them had told the reporter anything and they would be proud to share a dressing room with her. This sort of thing makes the story from more than half a decade ago so relevant today. Times are changing, and thankfully, transgenders are more and more accepted. But many still face similar circumstances as Christine Jorgensen did in their quest to be themselves. The final sentence of this autobiography states “I found the oldest gift of heaven—to be myself.” And that is how all life stories should end.

[Vanessa (V.C.) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Christine Jorgensen's A PERSONAL AUTOBIOGRAPHY is the crown jewel of autobiographies. It should, in fact, be essential reading for all trans women and transfems. While it centers the life of just one trans woman, I was astounded at how much I truly related to Christine and her journey into womanhood, and how it made me reflect on my own journey as an intersex woman of the trans experience. While Christine obviously came from a place of immense privilege not only because of her race as a white Danish-American with a well-to-do, semi-wealthy, multi-talented, and accepting family, we can all learn a lot from Christine, if not to truly be inspired and to admire her for being a hero and a trailblazer when at the time, transitioning was risky, experimental, and potentially dangerous. What's most remarkable about this autobiography is just how accessible it is, Christine's warm, shy, wise, witty, and charming personality leaps off the pages through her words, and while at times she seems to rush through some areas of her life where I wish we could have been given more of her insight and in more detail, or that she'd just slow down a little, it was pretty breathtaking at just how much you can truly feel her spirit on every page. There were so many moments that deeply moved me and that will never leave me, such as some of her most touching albeit heartbreaking anecdotes were when she'd talk about her crushes with heterosexual men, on how it highlighted her aversion towards being perceived as a gay man, not because she was homophobic, and not even because she felt misgendered, but because it would literally make her vomit to not be seen as merely a woman attracted to a man, exactly as how she saw herself, as a straight woman in love with a straight man. Or when she detailed her struggles with finding medical professionals who would take her seriously, at how it went from being a humiliating and disappointing experience, to when all it took was one, Dr. Christian Hamburger (his first name which inspired her to name herself the feminine version, Christine, as an homage to him!) who was the first to offer her HRT (as a guinea pig), and another, Dr. Georg Stürup (her psychiatrist) who would change her life forever, as well as the oh so wonderful and famous Dr. Harry Benjamin, all of whom were trailblazers in their own right for their warmth, their empathy, and their ambition to help their transfem clients in their transition as they deserved with hardly any questions asked. Christine's coming out to her family when they had no idea that her two years in Denmark was not for work or studies but was for her transition was especially heartwarming. There were so many brilliant moments in Christine's life, that at times I had to re-read some of those passages, because they were SO GOOD! To say that her autobiography and her time with us on Earth was important is obvious, but truly, she was and always will be especially for me. Christine, her autobiography, has my heart. If only this book was still in print (aside from a library copy) and more accessible to everyone, as Christine's story and the incredible person that she was in general is still a marvel, not only as a time capsule, but as a reminder of how far we've come in this community.

[Finnoula · Rating 5 out of 5]

It took me a few months to finish but this book is an important part of queer history. Obviously, Christine didn’t like using the term transsexual to describe herself, she was indeed a trans woman who has gone on to inspire people like Kate Bornstein, Armistead Maupin (whose character of Mrs. Anna Madrigal is heavily inspired by Christine), Leslie Feinberg and so many more. I love reading nonfiction and to read an autobiography of the first trans woman to get bottom surgery (she got an orchi, that was the surgery she got while in Denmark) is so awesome. Christine does not speak for the majority but her visibility in a postwar America was important to transgender acceptance now. We need more books like this one!!!

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an important work certainly, which captures Christine's insights and experiences and recapitulation of her historical context well, at times. But it is, in all honesty, also frequently banal, preoccupied as it is with a very sanitised and sterile portrayal of her life, with only the faintest mentions of romantic or sexual aspirations or dreams (but enough that we know she had them, and simply wished to stay largely silent on the subject).

One cannot blame her for wishing to suppress the controversy which dogged her mercilessly, through no fault of her own. That is completely understandable. But for the modern reader, this very carefully curated portrait constructed with public decency as a priority is less approachable for that fact.

[Andrew]

Cited in Transgender 101: A Simple Guide to a Complex Issue.

[Gina · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed Christine's voice, with humorous and thoughtful coverage of an interesting life.

In addition, it is an important testament to her experience, what it was like, especially when so much was new.

Recommended.

[Alex Thompson · Rating 5 out of 5]

A marvelous and fascinating read. What her story lacks in more salacious, personal details, it more than makes up for in showing us how little times change.

[Geo · Rating 4 out of 5]

very interesting. A daring personal account.

[Alissa · Rating 2 out of 5]

Looking for something deeper

I can't remember where I heard about this book,but it sounded pretty interesting. It started off okay and you can forgive the fact that it's not written by a practiced writer, but it was a bit boring. I didn't find any depth in this autobiography, any struggles experienced were really glossed over, no fears , family and friends were all instantly accepting, no worries surrounding the surgery or anything else. It might have been about getting a tonsilectomy. Most of the issues were about getting an acting career off the ground and too much name dropping in my opinion . It was kind of a waste of reading time and too superficial. I had hoped for more depth.

[Thomas Flannery · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting story and it moves quickly, though it feels like Christine took pains to keep everything PC and friendly. Seems like there's a real story underneath this one. Still, fascinating to read her experiences and her take on things at that time.

My Kindle version also included a foreword by Susan Stryker, was which a great addition.

[Sheila]

Reading articles/reviews today about The Danish Girl coming to theaters.... sparked my memory of having read this as a kid (I pretty much read everything mom had lying around the house). I clearly remember that blonde hair and those eyes. She had something to do with Denmark too.

[Richard]

This is an autobiography of someone who had a sex change. This was in a time, by the way, when that was a lot less common, so I'm sure the book is as much about dealing with the social taboo as it is about a sexual identify conflict.

[Beth Shields-Szostak]

1st edition, signed by author

[Bill Holtzapple · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing one of the first sex change operations performed in Denmark

[Michelle Koleva · Rating 5 out of 5]

Интересна биография за трудният път към себе си!

[Janice · Rating 5 out of 5]

Groundbreaking story as well as life.