San Francisco artist dedicates herself to chronicling transgender history
Andrea Horne has been a model, an actress and a jazz singer, but in San Francisco, she is most known for uplifting the transgender community by giving them a voice. Now she has also given the community a history to be proud of.
"It is not about trans history, this is American history, it is LGBTQ history, it is Black history," said Horne. "Trans people need to know their history because we are constantly told we don't have a history."
For the past several years, Horne has been on a journey to research the history of the transgender community. She carries around a thick red binder full of documents, photos and stories that she proudly shares, including a painting of a woman named Mary Jones.
"She is originally from New Orleans, and she made it all the way to New York City," said Horne. "And it is the first time someone was called transgender. It was 1836, and that's a long time ago."
Another photo she quickly shares is a picture of a woman named Mother George from the days of the Wild West.
"Mother George is a trans woman and midwife. And her family were some of the founders of the state of Idaho, and in the 1860's and 70's she helped deliver 500 babies," said Horne. "And no one knew she was a trans woman until she died in 1916."
Much of her research focuses on the Black transgender community - a community that has faced some of the most challenges within the LGBTQ+ community. A recent study by the Trevor Project showed 77% of Black transgender or non-conforming people faced discrimination, 44% faced violence, and 34% dealt with housing instability.
"We are told we're awful, and we don't know our place in the world and then we come to find out that we were the fabulosity behind everything that was happening," said Horne.
Being fabulous is something Horne knows something about. Born in Los Angeles, she transitioned when she was 15 years old and moved to San Francisco where she worked as a model and actress, immersing herself in the cultural nightlife of the 70s.
"I moved here because I had friends here," said Horne.
One of those friends was Sylvester, the musician and icon who earned the nickname the "Queen of Disco." Horne appears on the album cover "Living Proof."
"And yes, she lived with Sylvester here in San Francisco, and they had some hilarious stories and some really fun memories," said Breonna McCree with the San Francisco Transgender District. "She always says if she wasn't running from her trans-ness, she would have been a star. They would have tried to make her a celebrity."
But instead of becoming famous, Horne became an advocate and voice for her community.
"She's an icon, she has always been a community activist, a mother, a grandmother, and a fighter for justice and liberation for us," said McCree.
Today, Horne is continuing the fight, by turning her research into a book titled, "How Black Trans Women Changed the World." She hopes the book will help give the transgender community a complete story.
"This message is for everyone, but I am writing it for Black trans women, but the message is for all," said Horne.
Horne is now trying to raise $10,000 to help pay to get the book published. She will perform a story-telling session accompanied by a jazz band at the Tenderloin Museum on August 15th.