Lucy Hicks Anderson
Lucy Hicks Anderson was a transgender woman born in 1886. A former chef and domestic worker, Anderson eventually became a powerful madam in Oxnard, CA, running one of the most popular brothels in town. In 1944, Anderson married her second husband, Reuben Anderson, and continued to be a welcomed socialite in her community. Things were going well for her until an outbreak of a sexually transmitted disease in Oxnard changed everything.
Under accusations that the disease started in her brothel, Anderson and her girls were required to have medical examinations. When local authorities discovered she had been born a man, they cited her marriage licence as being falsified. Anderson and her husband were arrested and put on trial for perjury.
When questioned on her identity, Anderson proudly proclaimed to the court, "I defy any doctor in the world to prove that I am not a woman. I have lived, dressed, and acted just what I am — a woman." Anderson walked from her perjury charge with 10 years on probation. However, local authorities had another curveball for the couple: Anderson had been receiving checks as the wife of a US serviceman (Rueben), something authorities successfully prosecuted her on. After serving time in prison for these charges, Anderson relocated to Los Angeles, where she lived until her passing in 1954.
A renowned chef, socialite, activist, and madam? One of those alone would make an interesting film. Combined? Phenomenal. The stories Black trans women are rarely told, and Anderson's is important. Her defiance in the face of oppression deserves to be told with the love and respect it deserves.
Want to learn more about Lucy Hicks Anderson? Check out a short film on Anderson by the YouTube channel We've Been Around.