Lili Elbe

Lili Elbe was a talented painter.

She lived in Denmark. Lili loved to paint trees and the land.

Lili was also a wife. She married an artist named Gerda. They lived in lands like France and Italy.

Lili wanted to live as a woman. She went to Germany for help. Doctors performed surgeries to help her.

She changed her name to Lili. This made her feel like her true self.

Many people know her story today. There is a book and a movie about her life. Her story helps people understand others.

Lili Elbe was a famous Danish painter.

She loved to paint many landscapes. She painted views of France and Italy. Lili married an artist named Gerda Wegener.

They worked together as illustrators. Lili often posed as a model for Gerda's art.

Lili wanted to live her life as a woman. In 1930, she went to Germany for medical help. She had several surgeries to change her body. These surgeries were very new at that time. Lili also changed her name to Lili Ilse Elvenes. This helped her live as her true self.

Lili's life was very brave. She was one of the first people to have gender-affirming surgery. Later, she tried to have a uterus transplant. Sadly, her body could not accept the new organ. She died in 1931 due to health problems. Today, many people know her story. A book and a movie called "The Danish Girl" tell her tale. There is even an opera about her life. Her story helps people learn about being true to oneself.

Lili Elbe was a talented Danish painter who lived a life of great courage.

Before she lived as a woman, she was known as Einar Wegener. She was very good at painting beautiful landscapes. Her works included views of France and Italy. She even showed her art at the Vejle Art Museum in Denmark.

Lili married an artist named Gerda Wegener in 1904. They were both students at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts. They lived in Paris for a time starting in 1912. During this time, Lili often posed as a model for Gerda's famous paintings. Gerda's art often showed beautiful women with almond-shaped eyes. Lili enjoyed wearing women's clothes while modeling for her wife. This helped her discover her true self.

Lili eventually decided to live her life fully as a woman.

In 1930, she traveled to Germany to seek medical help. At that time, gender-affirming surgery was very new and experimental. She stayed at the Hirschfeld Institute for Sexual Science to prepare. A scientist named Magnus Hirschfeld tested her to check her health. Over two years, Lili underwent a series of four different operations. These surgeries were meant to help her body match who she was. The first surgery was performed by a doctor named Erwin Gohrbandt in Berlin. Later, a doctor named Kurt Warnekros performed other surgeries in Dresden. These steps were a very big part of her journey.

Lili's transition changed many things about her daily life. A Danish court ended her marriage to Gerda in October 1930. This allowed Lili to legally change her name and her sex. She even received a new passport under the name Lili Ilse Elvenes. The name "Lili Elbe" first appeared in a newspaper in February 1931. After her surgeries, she stopped painting landscapes to focus on her new life. She began a relationship with an art dealer named Claude Lejeune. Lili even hoped to have children one day. She was a pioneer for many people who felt differently about their gender.

Lili's medical journey included a very rare attempt at a transplant. In 1931, she returned to Dresden for a fourth surgery. Doctors tried to transplant a uterus into her body. This was one of the earliest attempts of its kind. However, the medical tools of that time were not very advanced. Doctors did not have the same medicines used today to stop the body from rejecting new organs. Because of this, her immune system rejected the transplant. This led to a serious infection and her death in September 1931. She was only about 48 or 49 years old. Her story remains a significant part of medical history.

Today, many people around the world know Lili's story through art. Her life inspired the famous book called "The Danish Girl" by David Ebershoff. This book was turned into a well-known movie in 2015. An opera named "Lili Elbe" also premiered in Switzerland in 2023. These works help keep her memory alive for new generations. In Copenhagen, an award called the Lili Award is given every year. This award honors people in the LGBTQ+ community. Lili Elbe's life shows the strength it takes to be true to oneself. Her legacy continues to inspire many people through stories and music.

Lili Elbe was a Danish painter and a pioneering transgender woman.

She is historically significant for being one of the earliest recipients of gender-affirming surgery. This medical process helps a person's physical body align with their gender identity. Elbe's life journey involved a profound transition from her birth identity as Einar Wegener to her life as Lili Ilse Elvenes. Her story remains a vital part of medical and LGBTQ+ history. It highlights the courage required to seek identity through experimental science.

Elbe's early life began in Vejle, Denmark, around 1882. She was the child of Mogens Wilhelm Wegener and Ane Marie Thomsen.

While some records suggest an 1886 birth year, her marriage in 1904 supports the 1882 date. She met Gerda Gottlieb while studying at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts in Copenhagen. They married in 1904. Elbe focused on landscape painting, while Gerda became a famous illustrator of fashion and women. They lived in Paris starting in 1912, where Elbe began exploring her identity by posing as a model for Gerda.

This modeling work became a turning point for Elbe's self-discovery. She began wearing women's clothing, such as stockings and heels, while filling in for models. By the 1920s, she was regularly presenting as a woman named Lili. This period was a distinct stage of her life where she lived more openly. She attended social festivities and entertained guests in her home. During this time, she was the subject of many of Gerda's famous paintings. These works often depicted beautiful women with almond-shaped eyes.

In 1930, Elbe began a complex medical transition in Germany. This process was highly experimental and required significant psychological preparation. She stayed at the Hirschfeld Institute for Sexual Science to undergo evaluations. The German sexologist Magnus Hirschfeld conducted a series of tests to assess her psychological health. Following these tests, Elbe underwent a sequence of four major operations over two years. The first surgery, performed by Erwin Gohrbandt in Berlin, involved the removal of the testicles.

Later, Dr. Kurt Warnekros performed additional surgeries in Dresden.

The surgical sequence included implanting an ovary onto the abdominal musculature. The third operation involved the removal of the penis and the scrotum. These procedures allowed Elbe to legally change her name and sex. A Danish court annulled her marriage to Gerda in October 1930 to facilitate this. She eventually received a passport as Lili Ilse Elvenes. The name "Lili Elbe" first appeared in the newspaper *Politiken* in February 1931. This period marked her full transition into her legal and social identity.

In 1931, Elbe underwent a fourth and highly experimental surgery. She sought a uterus transplant to attempt to achieve pregnancy. This procedure was one of the earliest attempts at such a transplant. However, the medical technology of the era faced a major hurdle. Immunosuppressant medications, which prevent the body from attacking new organs, were not yet widely used. Consequently, Elbe's immune system rejected the transplanted uterus. This rejection caused a serious infection and led to her death from cardiac arrest on 13 September 1931. She was approximately 48 or 49 years old.

Elbe's legacy has reached a global audience through various media. Her life inspired the 2000 novel *The Danish Girl* by David Ebershoff. This book was later adapted into a 2015 film starring Eddie Redmayne. In 2023, an opera titled *Lili Elbe* by composer Tobias Picker premiered in Switzerland. These works bring attention to the history of gender affirmation. Additionally, the MIX Copenhagen festival presents the Lili Awards to honor the LGBTQ+ community. Her story continues to connect medical history with the human experience of identity.