Lili Elbe

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Lili Elbe 1926

Lili Elbe (born Einar Magnus Andreas Wegener; 28 December 1882 – 13 September 1931) was a Danish painter and one of the first known recipients of sex reassignment surgery. She was a transgender woman and a pioneer in the field of gender identity and transgender rights.

Early Life

Lili Elbe was born Einar Magnus Andreas Wegener in Vejle, Denmark. She showed an early interest in the arts and went on to study at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts in Copenhagen. It was there that she met fellow artist Gerda Wegener, whom she married in 1904.

Career as Einar Wegener

As Einar Wegener, she achieved some success as a painter, specializing in landscape paintings. Her works were exhibited in various galleries and received positive reviews. However, it was her wife Gerda's work that brought them both into the limelight. Gerda often used Einar as a model for her paintings, dressing her in women's clothing, which eventually led to Einar's realization of her true gender identity.

Transition and Surgery

Lili Elbe's transition began in the late 1920s. She traveled to Germany to undergo a series of experimental surgeries performed by Dr. Magnus Hirschfeld at the Institute for Sexual Science in Berlin. These surgeries were among the first of their kind and included the removal of male genitalia and the construction of female genitalia.

Life as Lili Elbe

After her surgeries, she took the name Lili Elbe and began living as a woman. She legally changed her name and was issued a passport as Lili Elbe. She also sought to have her marriage to Gerda annulled, which was granted in 1930. Lili hoped to marry a man and live a quiet life, but her health began to deteriorate due to complications from her surgeries.

Death

Lili Elbe died on 13 September 1931 in Dresden, Germany, from complications following a uterus transplant, which was part of her final surgery. She was buried in Dresden.

Legacy

Lili Elbe's life and transition have had a lasting impact on the transgender community and the field of gender studies. Her story was brought to a wider audience through the novel The Danish Girl by David Ebershoff, which was later adapted into a film of the same name.

See Also

• Transgender history
• Sex reassignment surgery
• Gerda Wegener
• Magnus Hirschfeld
• The Danish Girl