On Saturday, September 21 at 1:00 p.m., the Bridgton Public Library will host speaker Alex Myers, who will give a presentation on Transgender History as part of the One Book One Valley 2019 series of programs.

The term “transgender” was coined in the late 1980s and came into popular usage in the mid 1990s, but that doesn’t mean that transgender people have only existed in the late twentieth century on. Transgender individuals have a rich history in America and other cultures. This program will present several different historical perspectives on transgender people and then focus on the story of Deborah Sampson, who disguised herself as man and fought in the Revolutionary War, as an example of the lived experience of transgender people.

Alex Myers, Barton Evans and H. Andrea Neves Instructor in Humanities at Phillips Exeter Academy, is One Book One Valley’s Project Humanist, providing expert advice for our project, and ensuring intellectual content and historical context are represented. Alex been out as transgender since 1995. He was the first openly transgender student at Phillips Exeter and Harvard University. Since coming out, he has worked as an educator and advocate for transgender rights. Alex visits around 20 schools a year to help them develop policy, practices, and facilities that support transgender students.

The Bridgton Public Library is located at 1 Church Street in Bridgton, Maine. Call 207-647-2472 for more information.