An essay written by Dr. Jeff Iovannone on trailblazing Buffalo transgender activist Peggie Ames, who spoke at Fredonia in the late 1970s, appeared in a recent issue of the feminist web publication “The Establishment.”
Based on his research at the Dr. Madeline Davis LGBTQ Archive of Western New York at SUNY Buffalo State College and oral history interviews with community elders, Dr. Iovannone recovers Ms. Ames' life and legacy from the archive and situates her within her rightful place in American LGBTQ history.
Iovannone ultimately argues Ames is an unacknowledged mother of the Transgender Rights Movement, as she created a blueprint for trans activism in rural communities and Rust Belt cities such as Buffalo.
