9 Amazing Transgender Women Who Changed History

Think back to high school history class. Who were the most prominent people featured? We're willing to bet that they were mostly white and (assumed) straight men. Even when our history books did mention women, they were almost all white and straight. They were definitely all cisgender (meaning: not transgender).

So this Women's History Month, we're taking time to celebrate the accomplishments of transgender women. The following nine women may not have called themselves transgender, because language is always evolving and in their time, words like "transsexual" or "queen" might have made more sense. But no matter what they called themselves, these are women who paved the way for transgender and gender non-conforming people who came after them.

They were pioneers, "mothers," and activists, simply for being brave enough to live. Read on for their stories, but remember that this is not an exhaustive list. There are plenty more transgender women we don't know about who had a hand in making the world a more interesting and inclusive place.