Rusty Mae Moore (1941– 2022) professor of international business.

Moore’s first marriage at 21 to a woman lasted for 10 years and they had a daughter; a second marriage produced two children. As a teacher of international business, Moore became associate dean at Hofstra University on Long Island. He also won a Fulbright scholarship to teach at the Fundação Getúlio Vargas, in São Paulo.

Her increasing desire to be a woman led to a marriage breakup as she entered her forties. In 1992 she met Chelsea Goodwin in a transsexual support group, and went to the New York drag clubs together. Moore was dressing as female more and more. In 1993 Rusty announced to the Hofstra officials that she would be living as a woman from the fall semester.

Until 1994 they and Julia Murray, who transitioned at the same time as Rusty, shared an apartment in Long Island. Then Rusty purchased a house in Park Slope, Brooklyn, New York. Despite abuse from the immediate neighbor, the man's wife became very friendly. In 1995 both Rusty and Chelsea flew to Belgium and had genital surgery from Dr Michel Seghers.

They welcomed half-a-dozen other trans persons including Kristiana Th’mas, a Workers’ World Party photographer and later Julia’s spouse Sylvia Rivera to share what they called Transy House.  Sylvia regarded Transy House as a continuation of the STAR House (run by Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries) of the early 1970s. They would go as a group to the drag club, Sally’s II in Times Square, where they were considered as a ‘house’ in the Paris is Burning sense. Those at Transy House without any other employment did telemarketing for trans artists and others.

When Dr Leo Wollman died in 1998, his widow donated his papers and other material to Transy House which established the Wollman Archives of Transgender History and Culture. The next year year Lee Brewster donated his extensive library. Rusty was chairperson of Metropolitan Gender Network, and active in the New York Association for Gender Rights Advocacy and other groups.


Rusty later ran a bookstore in Pine Hills in the Catskill Park, in upstate New York.

She died age 81.

• Rusty Mae Moore. “Transy House”. In Joan Nestle, Clare Howell & Riki Wilchins, GENDERqUEER: voices from beyond the sexual binary. Alyson Books, 2002.
• Rachele Kanigel and Michael Cervieri. “Transition: Crossing the Gender Divide”. NYC24 Feb 22, 2002. www.nyc24.org/2002/issue02/story01/index.asp
• Deborah Rudacille. “Conversation with Chelsea Goodwin and Rusty Mae Moore”. The Riddle of Gender. New York: Pantheon Books. 2005: 141-150.
• Rusty Mae Moore. “Satan and Lady Babalon: Polyamory Again at 64”. In Tracie O’Keefe & Katrina Fox. Trans People in Love, 2008. Excerpted as “Blood Lust”. Cherrie. 22 Sept 2008. cherrie.e-p.net.au/features/blood-lust.html.
• Cristiane Segatto. “Entrevista com a transexual Rusty Mae Moore”. Epoca. http://revistaepoca.globo.com/Epoca/0,6993,EPT442433-1655,00.html
• www.transyhouse.org.
• http://drmooresibblog.blogspot.com.
• http://greenfrogcafe.blogspot.com. 
• www.pinehillbookbunny.com.