Dr. Alan Hart was born October 4, 1890 (and I'm not going to use his birth name cause we don't use dead names on this blog) in Hall's Summit, Kansas and was quite the "tomboy" as a child. His mom and him later relocated to Albany, Oregon where he attended college at the Albany College.
He later transferred to Stanford and began wearing men's clothes and adopting masculine habits. He transferred back to Albany College and graduated in 1912 and later enrolled in the University of Oregon Medical School. He graduated from medical school in 1917 and was recognized as the first woman from the university to receive the Saylor medal for outstanding academic achievement.
After graduating from medical school Hart sought the help of his former professor, J. Allen Gilbert, for his attraction to women (Hart was still perceived as a woman at this time). Gilbert recorded his studies in "Homosexuality and its Treatment" and at first attempted conversion therapy with Hart. Hart later asked Gilbert to perform a hysterectomy on him in order to further transition to being male, Gilbert obliged. Following the procedure Hart cut his hair and formally became Alan L. Hart in 1917.
That same year he received his medical license and eloped with a young woman named Inez Stark, together they moved to Gardiner where Hart planned to start his own practice. However a former classmate of his recognized him and began telling the people of the town that Hart was a woman. Hart resigned and thus began a long line of times that Hart would be forced to move to a new town.
In 1923, Stark divorced Hart and in 1925 Hart married Edna Ruddick. In 1928 Hart received a masters degree in radiology from the University of Pennsylvania and later became the director of radiology at Tacoma General Hospital. He became an expert at X-Ray technology and detecting tuberculosis.
Besides being a remarkable doctor, Hart also wrote fiction based on his experiences. In 1935 he published his first book, Dr. Mallory. All of his books focused on social problems in medicine and were heavily influenced by his own negative experiences in the field
Dr. Hart died July 1, 1962 of heart failure. Hart is remembered as a remarkable transgender individual who triumphed over adversity, succeeding in the world of medicine, and making the world a better and healthier place as a result.
Mejia, Ari. “Alan L. Hart · Challenging Gender Boundaries: A Trans Biography Project · Outhistory.org.” Outhistory.org, outhistory.org/exhibits/show/tgi-bios/alan-l-hart.
Young, Morgen. “Alan Hart (1890-1962).” The Oregon Encyclopedia, 17 Mar. 2018, oregonencyclopedia.org/articles/hart_alan_1890_1962_/#.XKltLS-ZORs.
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