Will Hansen

This recording features an interview of Will Hansen by Gareth Watkins, centered on Hansen's commitment to documenting and illuminating the transgender history in Aotearoa New Zealand. Drawing from Hansen's personal journey and academic pursuits, the discussion provides a multifaceted reflection of the transgender community from the 1970s to the 2010s, revealing the absence and dire need for historical representation of transgender individuals in both social and academic spheres.

Hansen's interest stemmed from a personal quest for representation that began upon recognizing their own transgender identity. The disparity between lesbian historical coverage and the almost non-existent transgender equivalent motivated Hansen to pursue writing transgender histories, particularly from the 1970s era. Despite existing depictions of luminaries like Carmen Rupe and Georgina Beyer, comprehensive accounts were scarce. Hansen's university studies highlighted this void, with academic resources failing to adequately represent transgender individuals apart from Louise Pearman's thesis focusing on cross-gender identities from 1906 to 1950.

The conversation addresses the overshadowed nature of transgender movements and narratives, frequently eclipsed by more general gay and lesbian activism. The interviewee also identifies a preoccupation within transgender studies with identities rather than lived experiences, such as transgender politics and communities. Moreover, the dearth of transgender history is also attributed to its relative novelty in larger historical conversations, both within New Zealand and globally.

Hansen reflects on their coming-of-age experiences, including attending a single-sex high school and later connecting with transgender narratives through online platforms, like Tumblr, and the representation of influential personalities in media. These avenues played a critical role in shaping Hansen's understanding and acceptance of their transgender identity.

The interview delves into how historical silences result from various factors, such as the secondary marginalization of transgender issues within broader queer movements and the academic tendency to focus on theoretical concepts of gender. Hansen emphasizes the necessity of recording not only transgender identities but the communities, politics, and everyday lives of transgender individuals that have remained underexamined.

Hansen's dedication extends to community involvement as a board member of the Lesbian and Gay Archives of New Zealand (LAGANZ), with a focus on youth engagement and raising historical awareness. Hansen's aspirations include conducting and encouraging oral histories, viewing them as a vehicle for retrieving the nuanced stories of transgender individuals that existing literature and archival material might overlook.

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Will Hansen

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