by Jess Wilton
Threads of gender dysphoria unite the yellowing pages of adolescent diaries with the smudged print of typewritten letters within the Erica Rutherford fonds on the Prince Edward Island Public Archives. A trans artist who settled on Prince Edward Island (PEI), Rutherford handed away in 2008. She left behind quite a few artworks which have been on display at the Venice Biennale in addition to an autobiography and plenty of records located at Archives PEI. Her archival file on this submit shall be primarily explored by way of her adolescent diary and some letters. This illuminates experiences of gender dysphoria earlier than and after her transition. It additionally sheds mild on an necessary determine in PEI trans historical past.
Born on February 1st 1923, Rutherford was assigned male at delivery in Scotland. In 1975, she legally modified her title to Erica and, within the following yr, obtained gender affirming surgery. For a lot of her life, Rutherford was a transient artist dwelling in England, South Africa, Switzerland, Spain, the USA, and Canada. In 1985, she completely settled in japanese PEI having already lived many lives as she particulars in her autobiography Nine Lives: The Autobiography of Erica Rutherford. At totally different instances she was a painter, actor, screenwriter, children’s book illustrator,clothes retailer proprietor, and officer within the British Occupation Military of the Rhine. In 2009, her data had been added to the Public Archives and Information Workplace of Prince Edward Island after her dying. They characterize the archive’s solely accessible data with express themes of gender id and dysphoria.
With 3.24 m of data, the Rutherford fonds encapsulate a wide range of paperwork reminiscent of postcards, letters, a diary from her teenage years, a number of daybooks between 1976 and 2002, and even theatre setlists from her time as a set-designer and actor. Notice that the biography of Rutherford written by Archives PEI and a number of other of the referenced sources mirror the older language of “transsexual” fairly than transgender to check with Rutherford and her surgical procedure. Rutherford makes use of the time period herself in some correspondence. This time period has a long history in medical and psychological communities fairly than trans communities, so it’s typically not the preferred term. This text makes use of “trans” to mirror the change in terminology whereas nonetheless referencing the totally different time period utilized by Rutherford.
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{Photograph} of Erica Rutherford’s Diary 1938-1941. Taken October 2021. Diary. Sequence 3; subseries 1, folio 1, inside cowl. Public Archives and Information Workplace Prince Edward Island. Erica Rutherford fonds.The diary is an especially compelling archival file. The archive has labeled it as “diary 1938 to 1941,” however it’s attainable that this diary was used after 1941 since there are some inscriptions dated between 1941 and 1944.1 The diary is medium-sized with a midnight blue cowl. Its backbone is tattered and partially uncovered whereas the quilt exhibits indicators of water injury and put on on the corners. The inside pages seem untouched by water, with no apparent staining or smudging. The diary is usually full of sure lined paper, however some pages have separated from the binding and there are some folded up paperwork pressed between pages together with a typewritten, un-addressed letter with handwritten edits. The content material throughout the pages differ, nevertheless it mentions Rutherford’s buddies on the time, particularly a woman named Isabel and their time appearing collectively. It seems that this diary was created to file Rutherford’s teenage years and her time in class spent in England, but additionally as an outlet about gender. Later Rutherford writes that ideas about gender did “creep in” throughout her adolescence, emphasizing the significance of data from her adolescent years to a historical past of gender dysphoria and her life as a trans lady (9 Lives, 12).
By itself, this diary grants historians a glimpse into the lifetime of a younger grownup through the late Nineteen Thirties and early Forties in England. Contemplating the overlap with World Battle Two, it may particularly present perception into the lives of younger adults through the battle. Moreover, it’s full of the ideas and struggles of a young person and younger grownup whereas accompanied by adolescent humour. For instance, on the inside web page of the quilt, Rutherford wrote a number of inscriptions through the years. The primary, dated 1941, is a protracted paragraph starting with, “Reality is my motto. Reality is my goal,” whereas the second from 1942 states, “there is no such thing as a such factor as reality, a lie is as true as the reality.” In 1943 and 1944, the tone adjustments dramatically from philosophical to crude with “Balls!” and “Cock” as the one inscriptions, respectively. The primary two phrases are maybe an try at growing some form of mental relationship to reality or pointing to an inside battle with the idea. The second phrases and their phallic phrase selections categorical typical humour of an adolescent, notably one socialized as a boy for a few years. Additional evaluation of this mental thought and humorous language, as they modify over time, will help reveal the event of Rutherford’s mental character and probably even her sense of self.
Rutherford additionally mentions sensuality on a number of events all through the diary. Alongside different mentions of sensuality and sexual ideas, this data may point out Rutherford’s later overt struggles with sexuality and gender id. In a letter from roughly 1975 to a “George” she writes that “I’m a basic case of transsexualism … since I used to be twenty years previous I used to be conscious of the entire thing.”2[1] The diary contains the years simply earlier than this revelation. It gives contextual proof in a historic dialogue of gender dysphoria through the Forties—particularly the social and psychological remedy of this psychological state—or popping out as a transgender lady in 1975. Since it’s seemingly this understanding of gender and dysphoria was a course of over time, this diary helps inform a queer historical past of Rutherford as a younger pre-transition trans particular person.
Whereas Rutherford lived in lots of nations all through her life, she made PEI her residence for over 20 years together with her ex-wife Gale. In her autobiography, she writes that after visiting PEI, “I felt like residence there for the primary time since I had come to North America (9 Lives, 194). Throughout her time on PEI, she broadly participated in island affairs together with connecting with well-known Island authors reminiscent of Deirdre Kessler and forming the PEI Printmakers Council. With additional examine, her later data from after her everlasting transfer to the island may reveal an introspective take a look at life as a trans lady dwelling in rural PEI.
This deep dive into Rutherford’s diary is simply scraping the highest of a historical past of gender dysphoria throughout borders and solely begins to shed mild onto this trans artist’s exceptional life. The in depth fonds on the PEI archives deserve considerably extra consideration from historians as they relate to Rutherford’s transnational community for artists and as an important episode of trans historical past on the Island. Trans+ historical past and people usually are not new. They “have always existed” and that features Prince Edward Island. As we speak the province additionally has a vibrant trans group. Each the PEI Transgender Community and PEERS Alliance have some wonderful initiatives for present trans+ people on the island, together with a trans artist exhibit in downtown Charlottetown and an outdoor group for trans and gender numerous kids. In instances of increasing violence against trans and genderqueer folks around the globe and anti-trans sentiment within the Maritimes particularly, it’s much more essential to discover these historic roots and spotlight the histories of our communities.
Although I grew up fairly close by in rural PEI, I by no means had the chance to satisfy Erica earlier than she handed away. But, in her data I noticed glimpses of so many individuals I knew. I discovered letters between her and Jean Weber who was my first boss on the Macphail Homestead, introducing me to archiving and Island historical past. Rutherford had additionally corresponded with my Mother’s favorite elementary college instructor, Dierdre Kessler, who she all the time mentioned had one of the best ghost tales. Whereas these data do make clear transnational histories of artwork and gender, in addition they communicate to communities and kinship ties formed by the Island.
Jess Wilton is a doctoral candidate in historical past at York College. Her work focuses on the queer historical past of Nova Scotia from the Nineteen Sixties to the Nineteen Nineties by way of materials historical past and archival practices.
Additional Studying:
The Nine Lives of Erica Rutherford
Obtainable to borrow at PEI Libraries, name quantity: 921 RUT 1993, in addition to on the Toronto Public Library and numerous larger training libraries throughout Canada
American Historical Associations – “What is trans History”
University of Victoria’s Transgender Archives
Erica Rutherford: Her Lives and Works Part One and Part Two