Farewell to April Ashley, the first transgender model to be successful in the fashion universe, controversial and scandalous protagonist of the “Swinging London” of the 60s, immortalized on the covers of the most famous fashion magazines, starting from Scaleto. She died in London on December 27 at the age of 86.
As the newspaper recalls The Guardian, announcing his disappearance, George Jamieson – this is his real name -, born on 29 April 1935 in Liverpool, was one of the first British citizens to undergo sex reassignment surgery. In 2012, Queen Elizabeth honored the model and actress with the Order of the British Empire medal, the UK’s highest honor, for her commitment to transgender rights.
And the transgender community paid tribute to the character considered a pioneer of the community in Great Britain. Singer Boy George tweeted: “Rip April Ashley! A force of nature and a transgender priestess! ” Peter Tatchell, LGBTQ + rights activist, called her “the great trans pioneer for decades” and “hero”. “I was so honored to know and support her at a time when she was reviled after being declared trans,” said Tatchell.
Trans activist and actor Jake Graf wrote on social media: “A true pioneer of the trans community has left us. April Ashley was the definition of grace and humility, despite having fought hard all her life for her place in society. A true queen ».
Growing up in Liverpool, the son of a Catholic father and Protestant mother, with five other siblings, George Jamieson as a teenager with an ephebic body joined the Merchant Navy, from which he was discharged shortly thereafter. Ashley in her memoir “The First Lady” (2006) tells the traumatic experience lived in the Navy, talks about the rape suffered by his roommate, which caused him indelible wounds both physically and psychologically.
After repeated suicide attempts and a period in an asylum, in 1957 he moved to Paris, performing at the nightclub “Le Carrousel”, famous for its drag queen shows, led by the French trans Coccinelle. At the age of 25, after saving some money, he flew to Morocco, destination Casablanca, to undergo sex reassignment surgery. Returning to London with the name of April Ashley, her modeling career took off: starting to show and be photographed by the most important names of those years in the fashion industry, such as Brian Duffey, Richard Dormer and Terence Donovan.
“They all knew about my operation, they all knew who I was – said April Ashley – None of the photographers gave a damn about my past. They just wanted me in their wallet. ‘ The pinnacle of success was the cover won on Vogue shot by photographer David Bailey and the starring role in the film Astronauts of course (1962, Road to Hong Kong) con Bob Hope, Bing Crosby e Joan Collins.
Her modeling career was abruptly ended in 1961 when the Sunday People revealed that he was transgender, generating scandal and collective amazement. At the same time in Swinging London, Ashley became one of the most sought-after guests in social life. In 1963 he married the aristocrat Arthur Cameron Corbett in Gibraltar. The marriage canceled in 1970 with the fact that Ashley was born and therefore the change of sex that took place was grounds for nullity. The outcome of the sentence was used as a basis for denying transgender citizens the most basic of civil rights. Emigrated to the west coast of the United States to escape, she returned to Britain in 2005 when she was legally recognized as a female under the Gender Recognition Act.