45 Trailblazers Who Changed The World, From Pride 1969 To Pride 2014

From: Queerty

Christine Jorgensen

In September 1951, Christine Jorgensen, an American transgender female, became the first person in the U.S. to have sex reassignment surgery. The story of her transformation made the front page of the New York Daily News in December 1952. She became an instant celebrity and used her platform to become a leading advocate for the cause well before its time. On her deathbed in 1989, Jorgensen famously said she gave the sexual revolution “a good swift kick in the pants.”