Louise Ergestrasse, whose journey is described in the articles below, is the individual on the left of this photo.
The first organization for trans individuals was located at Glide Church. In the 60’s, the pastors of the congregation not only supported the trans community by providing space to meet, they also testified in court on behalf of individuals who were seeking to change their name. Glide was joined in this work by Sgt. Elliot Blackstone, the San Francisco Police Department’s first LGBT liaison officer.
1969 Glide Pastors Testify in Court to Help Trans Individuals Change Their Name and Sex
Trigger warning: The article below and the notes that accompany it contain deadnaming and hurtful language about trans and gay individuals. It is shared for historical purposes to help individuals understand the struggles that people have faced in history. Please skip this article if you think it may trigger you.
This article from Knight Magazine, Volume 7, No 6, October 1969 was saved by the Rev. Dr. Reed Erickson
Courtesy of the ONE Archive at the USC Libraries, Reed Erickson Papers, 7-13
The same article was clipped by the Rev. Raymond Broshears to highlight the story of COG and Glide Memorial Church.
Courtesy of the GLBT Historical Society, Papers of Ray Broshears, 96-3 Carton 2
1971 Symposium on Transsexualism
Glide’s National Gender-Sex Identification Council sponsored a symposium on transsexual issues an article about the conference is below, followed by video excepts.
Courtesy of the Glide Archive
This video includes Louise, Sgt. Elliot Blackstone and other members of COG sharing their stories. This video was created from footage in the Susan Stryker files, courtesy of the GLBT Historical Society. Video by Megan Rohrer.
Sgt. Blackstone’s work with the LGBTQ community, and particularly his work with transgender individuals resulted in support from mainstream LGBTQ organizations. Including the testimonial dinner below.
Vector September 1971. Courtesy of Megan Rohrer
If this exhibit has inspired you to learn more about Glide Pride, you can connect here.