The “sarampión travesti” of the Spanish Transition (1978-1983). Gender, Patologithation and Trans Representation

Abstract

This article examines the representation of trans identities during the Spanish Transition, a period in which the increasing visibility of these identities coincided with the arrival of the medical category of transsexuality, which already had a long history in other national contexts. After introducing the issue and briefly discussing the relationships that critics have established between trans identities and the political transitional process, the article highlights the importance of this period of unprecedented visibility for the shaping of a trans identity in Spain. Additionally, we propose the term “sarampión travesty” (transvestite measles) to describe this phenomenon, as an act of reappropriation of the social contagion theories circulating at the time. Finally, we exemplify its magnitude through the analysis of a section of interviews from the seminar Party, titled “Transvestite of the Week,” where multiple trans women shared their experiences and life expectations and explained how they understood their identities.