Meet Lili Elbe, a transgender pioneer from the 1930s

She is widely believed to be the first known people to undergo sexual reassignment surgery.
By
Lili Elbe, pictured here in 1925, from her autobiography, "Man Into Woman."
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Lili Elbe, pictured here in 1925, from her autobiography,
Wikimedia Commons

Lili Elbe was a transgender woman, and is widely believed to be the first known people to undergo sexual reassignment surgery in 1930. The majority of surgical options for transgender people prior to Elbe were simply the removal of sexual organs.

Elbe was an artist by trade, and studied at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts in Copenhagen. While there, she met Gerda Gottlied, neé Wegener, who ended up using Elbe as a model in many of her paintings.

In the wake of media sensation over her surgery, a Danish court voided her marriage to Gerda Wegener. She later died after her body rejected an implanted uterus, and she went into cardiac arrest due to infection in 1931.    

The Danish Girl is a fictionalized recounting of Elbe’s life.

Don't forget to share:

Discover more

You can’t know where you’re going, if you don’t know where you’ve been. Learn more about celebrating LGBTQ History Month by reading the informative and inspiring stories below.


Lili Elbe The Danish Girl transgender history

This article includes links that may result in a small affiliate share for purchased products, which helps support independent LGBTQ+ media.

Support vital LGBTQ+ journalism

Reader contributions help keep LGBTQ Nation free, so that queer people get the news they need, with stories that mainstream media often leaves out. Can you contribute today?

Once Monthly Annually

Cancel anytime · Proudly LGBTQ+ owned and operated

Will Christian voters turn out in enough numbers to stop a blue wave?

Previous article

Can your finger length predict if you’re gay or straight?

Next article

More in LGBTQ History