In The Philadelphia Negro, W.E.B. Du Bois critiqued the prevailing view that Black communities and cultures exist as a single “homogenous mass,” given the noted class, political, religious, and geographic diversity among Black Americans. Following research by contemporary Du Boisian scholars, I seek to extend this notion of “black heterogeneity” to include gender expression—specifically, expression considered nonconforming to societal norms.
In this study, I focus on three Black individuals—Mary Jones, Frances Thompson, and William Dorsey Swann—who transgressed gender norms in 19th century American cities. I explore their respective methods of gender nonconformity, experiences with criminalization, and strategies for survival (and resistance). Specifically, I am guided by two research questions: (1) How do 19th century newspaper articles portray race, gender expression, and supposed criminality of Black trans people? And (2) to what extent do these articles highlight Black trans people’s own narratives of—and responses to—criminalization of their identities? To address these inquires, I utilize historical newspapers and other primary sources gathered through digital archives and library collections. Analyzing these three historical cases builds on Du Bois’ contributions to urban sociology and criminology, highlighting unique Black experiences overlooked by early sociologists, but documented in 19th century print news and other public discourse.
In this study, I focus on three Black individuals—Mary Jones, Frances Thompson, and William Dorsey Swann—who transgressed gender norms in 19th century American cities. I explore their respective methods of gender nonconformity, experiences with criminalization, and strategies for survival (and resistance). Specifically, I am guided by two research questions: (1) How do 19th century newspaper articles portray race, gender expression, and supposed criminality of Black trans people? And (2) to what extent do these articles highlight Black trans people’s own narratives of—and responses to—criminalization of their identities? To address these inquires, I utilize historical newspapers and other primary sources gathered through digital archives and library collections. Analyzing these three historical cases builds on Du Bois’ contributions to urban sociology and criminology, highlighting unique Black experiences overlooked by early sociologists, but documented in 19th century print news and other public discourse.
