Lili Elbe

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.