Man-i-fest: FTM Mentorship in San Francisco, 1976 -2009, by Megan M. Rohrer

Man-i-fest follows the letters of Lou Sullivan to David, highlighting the topics and mentors that shaped the FTM community in San Francisco from 1976 to 2009. The central items in the exhibit appeared in Gateway: the newsletter of Golden Gate Girls/Guys, and FTM, supplemented by Lou Sullivan’s photographs of his transition. The exhibit was curated by Megan M. Rohrer in partnership with the GLBT Historical Society in San Francisco.

Timeline

1973: Lou Sullivan starts dressing and passing as a man
1976: Lou Sullivan applies to the gender clinics for the first time, but they do not answer.
April 1979: First Issue of Gateway
July 1979: Lou Sullivan becomes the editor of the 2nd Volume of Gateway
November 1979: Lou Sullivan begins taking hormones
1980 Transsexualism first appears in DSM III
March 3, 1980: Lou Sullivan's first letter to David
April 28, 1980: Lou Sullivan's second letter to David
October 21, 1980: Lou Sullivan's third letter to David
1980: Lou Sullivan has chest surgery
April 1986: Lou Sullivan has what his doctor calls "genitalplasty," which included testicle implants and a clitoral extension.
December 1986: Lou Sullivan is diagnosed with HIV and told he has 10 months to live.
September 1987 First issue of FTM
May - July 1988 Lou Sullivan gets an MAI infection and loses a lot of weight.
1991: Lou Sullivan becomes the first transman to die of AIDS
1991: Jamison Green transforms FTM into FTM International or FTMI
2007: The Lou Sullivan Society (LSS) is created to continue the mentoring begun by Lou Sullivan.