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A Transvestite pass (German: Transvestitenschein) was a doctor's note recognized by the governments of Imperial Germany and the Weimar Republic – under the support of sexologist Magnus Hirschfeld – identifying a person as a transvestite. Transvestite at this time referred to all individuals whose gender identity or preferred clothing was discordant to that associated with their assigned sex, and so included both crossdressing and transgender people.

History

In early 20th-century Germany, cross-dressing was not inherently illegal. However, those who defied societal gender norms through cross-dressing risked facing legal consequences, such as arrest and charges related to public outrage and disturbances.Magnus Hirschfeld played a pivotal role in assisting individuals navigating these challenging situations, by helping them obtain police documents regarding their clothing choices to establish their “objective” sexual identity. Hirschfeld was the one who submitted reports to the police as evidence in support of obtaining a transvestite pass for his patients. Hirschfeld's efforts contributed to the transformation of this pass into a more specific permit that would be recognized on the basis of state-legitimacy, particularly during the Weimar Republic.

In either 1908 or 1909, the first known Transvestite Pass was issued to a female-to-male transvestite. 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. 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 which corresponded to their gender identity, meaning they could cross-dress in public spaces.

In 1922, guidance issued by the police headquarters of Berlin regarding this policy stated:

"Apart from male prostitution, transvestism in general has no criminal significance. The widespread public opinion that the disguised individuals are generally criminals in disguise (pickpockets, spies, pimps, etc.) is obsolete. Regarding the male transvestites, recent experience shows that even the formerly taken-for-granted view that men in women's clothing are all homosexuals is no longer tenable. [...] Based on this insight emerges a duty of gentle treatment [schonenden Behandlung] of transvestites, as long as they are not engaged in male prostitution."

In the years after the Nazis came to power, most of the Transvestite Passes were revoked, refused and not recognized by German police forces.

Dr. Magnus Hirschfeld (right) and Karl Giese (left), 1934.

Magnus Hirschfeld

Career

Dr. Magnus Hirschfeld (1868–1935) was a German physician, sexologist, clinician, and early homosexual rights activist. In 1919 Berlin, Hirschfeld founded Institut für Sexualwissenschaft (Institute for Sexual Science), a private sexology research institute. Hirschfeld's theories and research would become theoretical precursors to concepts such as non-binary gender identity, and same-sex love. 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 ofcross-dressing from notions of homosexuality as well as the gay and lesbian culture in Weimar Germany.

Transvestitenschein (Transvestite Pass)

In 1908-1909 Hirschfeld and psychoanalyst Karl Abraham implemented the first Transvestitenschein (Transvestite Pass). Hirschfeld and Abraham created the

Karl Abraham, 1920.

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 (Transvestite Pass) 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 (Transvestite Pass), Hirschfeld's institute Institut für Sexualwissenschaft (Institute for Sexual Science) began offering other services for transgender individuals such as sexual health services, including medical transitioning.

Personal Lives of Individuals with the Transvestite Pass

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. This influenced the lifestyles of many as Transgender patients were told to follow more middle class values such as not dressing too extravagantly or feminine, and not interacting with those who were outside the heterosexual norms in order to conform to the regulations needed to obtain the Transvestite Pass. They were expected to follow these guidelines because police were told to only arrest individuals if they thought that they were committing “gross mischief” or prostitution. Many people who had Transvestite Passes had to distance themselves from the German LGBTQ+ community due to prejudice from both others in the transgender community as well as homophobia at that time..

While homosexuality and cross-dressing was 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, Katharina T, passed the first examination in the process of approval for the Transvestite Pass but was eventually denied to change their name legally. It was more uncommon for transgender men to be given passes due to German society in the interwar period associating them with the queer community. Transgender women were given passes but also faced difficulties with changing their name. Not much information is documented about the personal lives of the individuals who had obtained the Transvestite Pass. However, there were famous transgender people such as Lili Elbe who was able to successfully obtain the Transvestite Pass and was able to change their name legally. Nonetheless, the post-1933 fates of individuals who had received Hirschfeld’s assistance varied significantly amongst the rise of the Nazi Regime. 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.