Binary Bashers Ep. 10: Frances Thompson - Hard in America

In the ruins of post–Civil War Memphis, Frances Thompson lived her womanhood in public despite escalating danger. A formerly enslaved Black trans woman, she survived the white supremacist violence of the 1866 Memphis Riots and testified before Congress, placing her voice into the national archive at a time when Black women were rarely heard.

Later arrested under laws policing gender nonconformity, Thompson’s life reveals how race, gender, and state power intertwined during Reconstruction, and why her testimony still matters as debates over bodily autonomy and public identity continue 150 years later.

Music: “Hard in America” by Gabriel Kelley, licensed through Epidemic Sound.

This episode was made with care. It's based on established scholarship and publicly available information from credible sources. If we've made an error, please let us know at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://embracingallofme.org⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Embracing All of Me is a storytelling and advocacy platform for the multi, complex, and in-between, uplifting the voices of Bi+ people of color, our kin and friends. ⁠⁠⁠Visit our ⁠⁠⁠⁠FAQs⁠⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠⁠Sources page⁠⁠⁠⁠ to learn more about how this episode was developed.