April Ashley: Paris Showgirl, Vogue Model & Trans Trailblazer

April Ashley: Paris Showgirl, Vogue Model & Trans Trailblazer

As the UK’s second person to go through gender reassignment surgery, April Ashley was a trans trailblazer, breaking new ground fearlessly and with humour and grace.


She wowed the crowds of Le Carrousel as a showgirl in 1950s Paris, graced the pages of Vogue and, when accepting her MBE for services to transgender equality in 2012, she stood every bit as gracious and regal as the Queen herself.


April's achievements seem even more remarkable in the context of a life story replete with real hardships, from an extremely tough upbringing in post-war Liverpool to her public outing in a national newspaper by a friend.


Behind the demure glamour she presented, who was April Ashley? And why is it so vital that her story his heard today? Kate is joined by author and journalist Charlie Craggs to find out.


This episode was produced by Stuart Beckwith, and edited by Tom Delargy. The Senior Producer was Charlotte Long.


If you're enjoying Betwixt please vote for us at the British Podcast Awards here. It would mean the world to us!


Discover the past on History Hit with ad-free original podcasts and documentaries released weekly presented by world renowned historians like Kate Lister, Dan Snow, Suzannah Lipscomb, Lucy Worsley, Mary Beard and more.


Get 50% off your first 3 months with code BETWIXT. Download the app on your smart TV or in the app store or sign up at historyhit.com/subscribe.


You can take part in our listener survey here.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episoder(400)

Dick Pics: The History

Dick Pics: The History

Depictions of dicks have been an obsession in art for as long as art has been around, but the act of sending a real life image of ones penis is a cultural phenomenon all of its own. Additionally, the ...

20 Jun 202347min

Shakespeare's Sex Life

Shakespeare's Sex Life

The Bard’s work featured many references to sex and sexuality - some more obvious than others. But what does the work reveal about the sexuality of Shakespeare himself? Despite being married with thre...

16 Jun 202348min

Anne Lister: The First Modern Lesbian?

Anne Lister: The First Modern Lesbian?

It’s a rare thing to hear first hand the experiences of marginalised people in history. So often their voices are silenced, and their histories erased. Which is why Anne Lister’s diaries, which tell u...

13 Jun 202337min

Victorian Pregnancy & Childbirth: The Untold History

Victorian Pregnancy & Childbirth: The Untold History

Why did Victorian doctors recommend women to lie still in solitary confinement for days after giving birth? What was the 'sit up and cough' method of contraception? (not the most reliable) And what wa...

9 Jun 202342min

The Pre-Raphaelites: Art & Sexual Liberation

The Pre-Raphaelites: Art & Sexual Liberation

The Pre-Raphaelites: Art & Sexual LiberationIf there’s one thing we like to embrace on this podcast, it’s a slice of controversy. Which is why today’s topic of the Pre-Raphaelites movement is such a j...

6 Jun 202334min

A History of Queer Women

A History of Queer Women

One thing’s for certain, queer people have always been a part of society. The language may not have always been there to describe them in all of their wonderful forms, and the history books may not ha...

2 Jun 202348min

The Rise of Celebrity Culture

The Rise of Celebrity Culture

Any of us who have happened to see a celebrity in the wild can admit to the strange thrill you get. It doesn’t matter if it’s C, D, or Z-list celebrities, even, they all count! But why are we as a soc...

30 Mai 202339min

The Giggling Granny serial killer

The Giggling Granny serial killer

Picture a serial killer in your mind’s eye. What do you see? More often than not it will be a man.Statistically that’s accurate, but it doesn’t tell the whole story. Whilst it’s perhaps not the most w...

26 Mai 202334min

Populært innen Historie

rss-dette-ma-aldri-skje-igjen
rss-katastrofe
henrettelsespodden
med-egne-oyne
historier-som-endret-norge
rss-historiske-romanser
sektledere
rss-benadet
rss-nadelose-nordmenn-gestapo
historier-som-endret-verden
aftenposten-historie
rss-strid-de-norske-borgerkrigene
rss-frontkjemperne
rss-gamle-greier
historiepodden-ww2
historiepodden
rss-historiepodden-ww2
liberal-halvtime
vare-historier
rss-alt-var-bedre-for