Transvestite pass

(not pictured) and lived for two years in Berlin under his chosen name. This photo is from Hirschfeld's Sexual Intermediates (1922). In early 20th-century Germany, cross-dressing was not inherently illegal. From 1908–1909 up until 1933, "perhaps dozens" of such transvestite passes were granted by the German police with the support and aide of Hirschfeld. Medical assessments were also conducted with the help of Iwan Bloch. These transvestite passes were mainly given to middle-class, heterosexual, male-to-female individuals to avoid associations with gay and lesbian culture in Weimar Germany. The transvestite pass certificate stated that the "individual in question" was allowed to wear clothing that corresponded to their gender identity, Notions of transvestism were sufficiently novel in the early twentieth century that the case of one holder of a Transvestiteschein made international news. The case of Countess Geraldine von Zobeltitz, a trans noblewoman from Berlin, was reported in the 11 August 1912 issue of the Asheville Citizen-Times. == Police ==

As the pass gained popularity, local police departments began issuing their own version of the transvestite pass. The police version was handwritten but had a photo of the individual wearing the clothes of their chosen sex. In order to get a pass, one would need a medical report from a medical professional and give it to the police, who will make the pass. Since the certificates were issued by local police, some individuals encountered problems when they were traveling between police jurisdictions. The streets or cafes were places that did not ensure freedom of movement and held different rules about gender presentation and behaviour; cross-dressing and gender experience were "misunderstood" by police in many cases, especially for lower-class individuals who were targeted more than their middle and upper-class counterparts. == Magnus Hirschfeld ==

(right) and Karl Giese (left), 1934. Career Magnus Hirschfeld (1868–1935) was a German physician, sexologist, clinician, and early homosexual rights activist. In 1919, in Berlin, Hirschfeld founded the Institut für Sexualwissenschaft (Institute for Sexual Science), a private sexology research institute. Along with his research institute, Hirschfeld strove for legal and social reform on the basis of LGBTQ+ rights, as he felt that individuals should not be characterized as abnormal and criminalized for being sexual minorities. Hirschfeld's theories and research would become theoretical precursors to concepts such as non-binary gender identity and same-sex love. Hirschfeld was a firm believer that science had the ability to provide fair treatment to all. This is echoed in his most famous motto, "per scientiam ad justitiam" ('through science to justice') In 1910, during the Weimar period, Hirschfeld coined the term "transvestism" to describe the act of cross-dressing. Hirschfeld did this as a way to distinguish the act of cross-dressing from notions of homosexuality as well as the gay and lesbian culture in Weimar Germany. Hirschfeld and Abraham created the transvestite pass as a form of protection for individuals against the arrest associated with the act of cross-dressing from local police authorities, as well as providing them with the ability to travel in an unimpeded manner. The implementation of the Transvestitenschein paved the way for further progression amongst transgender rights, such as the ability for legal name change. This was one of the first forms of trans recognition of state legitimacy. Along with the Transvestitenschein, Hirschfeld's institute, the Institut für Sexualwissenschaft, began offering other services for transgender individuals, such as sexual health services, including medical transitioning. == Personal lives of individuals with the transvestite pass ==

, 1926 It is unknown how many people used Magnus Hirschfield's transvestite pass. Of the documented cases, most of them were given to white, middle-class transgender women. The media only described a bourgeois transgender experience rather than the multitude of transgender communities at the time in Weimar Germany. While homosexuality and cross-dressing were not allowed, being transgender had no official legal consequences. For individuals who obtained the transvestite passes, there were not many reported cases where an individual transitioned from female to male (FTM). The vast majority of those in possession of the transvestite pass were individuals who transitioned from male to female (MTF). One of the only documented transgender men (female to male) of the time, Karl Kohnheim, passed the first examination in the process of approval for the transvestite pass but was eventually denied the right to change his name legally. Thus, the transvestite pass illustrates the evolving legal and societal attitudes towards the act of cross-dressing, gender identity, and transgender rights in Weimar Germany. == Post-Weimar period ==

When the Nazis came to power in 1933, German police stopped recognizing and providing passes. The police also revoked the passes of people who already had them, and in some instances, the pass was used to identify people to send to concentration camps. Another example is that of Gerd Kubbe, whose pass was revoked in 1933, and in 1938, he was sent to a concentration camp; however, he was released a few months later. He was then granted to change his name, as other trans individuals (mostly trans men) had been allowed to do during the early years of the Nazi regime. In September 1939, Alex. S. petitioned the government to have his birth register changed from female to male. This was denied, and Alex ended up on a Nazi watchlist. This led to him losing his transvestite pass. In the post-war era, the pass fell into obscurity but did see some use up until the late 1950s in places like West and East Berlin. These passes were issued by the police, and like in pre-Nazi Germany, they had a picture of the individual wearing the clothes of their chosen gender. However, these passes stopped being issued in the 1960s. ==See also==