Jacob’s Comments (group member since Aug 17, 2007)

Jacob’s comments from the transcommunities group.

I took this picture a couple of years ago.

Why this picture?

Hotel Barbizon was a Los Angeles residential hotel where a few transsexual women stayed in the 1950s. (See Joanne Meyerowitz's How Sex Changed.) Interestingly, it's just 2-3 blocks from where the office of Dr. Elmer Belt was during the same time period. Dr. Belt was the only consistent surgical option for MTFs in the U.S. 1954-1963. His office building was built to his specs, so that it could house not only his urologic practice but also his extensive book collections; he specialized in Da Vinciana and Upton Sinclair. Where his building once stood is now a Korean Air office.

Just another block from the Barbizon is the Westlake Convalescent Hospital, where Aleshia Brevard had surgery (by Belt) in 1962.

And finding out all of this has just been pretty random. I knew the address for Belt's office, so specifically went to check that out. One day Alicia (my sweetie) and I were driving on 6th St. to go downtown from Hollywood and just happened across the Barbizon. Another day I was showing Susan the location of Belt's office and the Barbizon and we just happened to drive up Westlake, and there was the hospital where Aleshia had her surgery. The proximity of the latter two to Belt's office might be coincidence -- I have no evidence to the contrary -- but that'd be a little surprising.

If any of y'all have photos you'd like to put in, that'd be great. I'd love a little revolving trans history photo show.

Jake