Life of trans trailblazer celebrated in show of her personal possessions

A new collection featuring a range of everyday belongings of the "pioneering" transgender activist April Ashley aims to tell the "lesser known stories" of her life, its curator has said.

Only the second Briton to undergo male-to-female gender reassignment surgery in 1960, Ashley, born in the Norris Green area of Liverpool in 1935, was well known as a Vogue model and actress.

Some 47 of her possessions have gone on display at Liverpool Museum, from glamorous jewellery, keepsakes she acquired while living in Wales and souvenirs from her time in San Diego, California.

Lead curator Kay Jones said it was "really nice to think about the different facets of someone and to see them as a more rounded individual".

She added: "There's the everyday persona and life and objects that she's kept and cherished that really reflect that, but then there's also the lovely glittery jewellery which we all love and she is synonymous with."

The collection reflects causes close to Ashley's heart - from Greenpeace, which she worked for, to the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) and a badge proudly displaying the Aids ribbon in red and gold.

She was made an MBE for her campaigning work for the transgender community in 2012 and was hailed as a "trailblazer" for equal rights before she died in December 2021 at the age of 86.

Bev Ayre, executor of Ashley's estate, said: "We had all her clothes, her jewellery, her knick-knacks, everything that was in the flat. We had to clear it very quickly.

"We decided that we would keep selected jewellery and personal items and that we would sell the rest at auction.

"Part of that money would go towards the charities that she supported and part of it would go towards the upkeep of her archive and her life.

"I think it is well known that she was incredibly charismatic, incredibly beautiful. She was self-taught and widely read."

From her time in Paris performing at the Cabaret Le Carousel to working as a model in London, Ashley's career spanned decades across Europe and periods living in the US.

"I'd say she was a pioneer in many respects. I think it's very timely to tell April's story," Ayre said.

She was said to have known "everybody" in the celebrity world, from the likes of David Bowie and Boy George to John Lennon, Paul McCartney and film stars Omar Sharif and Peter O'Toole.

Trans rights and gender identity remains a heated political debate that has incited strong views on both sides of the argument.

Lead curator Jones said Ashley had "inspired generations of people", particularly after details of her life made the news in the early 1960s following her operation in Casablanca, Morocco.

Jones said: "For a lot of people, that was the first time that they could identify with someone in a very similar situation to themselves.

"These things couldn't be talked about at the time, so it gave so many people a ray of hope. In a way that is still resonant today with the massive challenges faced by the trans and non-binary communities everywhere."

Ashley later said becoming a woman had made her the happiest she had ever been.

She obtained a passport and driving licence that identified her as female and, in 2005, she was legally recognised as female in light of the Gender Recognition Act.

Reflecting on her life in an interview, she said: "They were mad, wonderful times. Why not enjoy them? That's always been my philosophy.

"I know more than anyone how people can judge, but I also know if you are true to yourself, that's all that matters."

The display runs until 12 April in the atrium of Museum of Liverpool

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