This was at a time when advertising was trendy and sexy and Jean obtained work as art director for advertising agencies in Dusseldorf and Frankfurt, and later as a freelance illustrator for magazines in Hamburg and Munich.
Through friends she was able to make extended trips to Japan and to visit Native Americans. In 1985 she returned to living as a man so that she could marry her Japanese lover and obtain for her permanent residency in West Germany. Her lover died in 1996.
Jean returned to being female. Now in her seventies, she continues to participate in art exhibits.
She does not identify with the idea of a female soul in a male body, or say that she always was a woman, although she did want to be a girl when young. She chose Jean as a name in that it is male in French and female in English.
- Jean Lessenich. Nun bin ich die ewig junge Hirschkuh oder der Ajilee Mann. Edition Suhrkamp 1988.
- Jean Lessenich. Mit den Zähnen am Zweig. Selbstverlag 200.
- Jean Lessenich.Die transzendierte Frau. Eine Autobiografie. Gießen 2012, Psychosozial-Verlag.
- Andrea Bronstering. "Die transzendierte Frau: Eine Autobiografie: Amazon.de". Transgenderradio Berlin, 2012. http://am-toerichten-bach.de/blog-2/index.html.
- I Am a Woman Now. Michiel van Erp (dir) with April Ashley, Marie-Pierre Pruvot, Colette Berends, Jean Lessenich, Corinne van Tongerloo. Netherlands 80 mins 2011.
- Am törichten Bach: Die Stimme des Tales ist Buddhas weite und lange Zunge. http://am-toerichten-bach.de.
I think everyone in a similar situation (tg-tv-ts) ought to be ever thankful for good friends, most of us live on their input.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your research, Zagria, another sad story but a great article!