Homotopia launches April Ashley Heritage Project

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The Liverpool LGBT arts festival Homotopia launches a two-year, £250k project today that will document the experiences of trans people in Britain over the last 70 years.

The project focuses on the incredible life of model, actress and trans woman April Ashley (pictured), whose MBE was announced in the Queen’s birthday honours list this year.

Support from the Heritage Lottery Fund will enable a number of reminiscence workshops and opportunities for members of the trans community to share their experiences.

The project is being launched at the Museum of Liverpool, which will collaborate with Homoptopia on an exhibition based on April’s extraordinary life.

The 2013 exhibition will use April’s personal collection of documents, photographs, letters, newspaper cuttings and television clips to chart her journey from George Jamieson born in Pitt Street, Liverpool in 1935 through her early career at sea, to her career as a cabaret performer, actress and Vogue model.

She underwent life-threatening gender reassignment surgery in 1960, and later married a future peer of the realm. It was April’s notorious divorce in 1970 (Corbett Vs Corbett) that made it illegal for trans people to officially adopt their chosen gender until the Gender Recognition Act 2004.

Homotopia Director Gary Everett explained:
“This is a project of national significance charting the shifting social attitudes towards gender and sexuality using personal effects from April’s archive. Over half a million people will enjoy the final exhibition, thanks to our collaboration with the Museum of Liverpool.

“We are looking to capture the memories of trans, lesbian, gay and heterosexual people who remember April and can tell us of their experiences and of the impact they perceive April to have had on the movement from marginalisation and prejudice towards equality.”

April Ashley was delighted when Homotopia approached her and said: “I am very flattered that there will be an exhibition about my life in the beautiful Museum of Liverpool. This is already a special year for me as I am to receive an MBE this autumn for my work campaigning for transgendered rights.”