Mit dem Puppenwagen in die normative Weiblichkeit. Lili Elbe und die journalistische Inszenierung von Transsexualit t in D nemark

When the Danish painter Einar Wegener underwent several operations in 1930 in order to subsequently live as Lili Elvenes, the case was of great interest for both the public and the media. In the beginning of 1931 the Danish newspapers Politiken and Ekstra Bladet published a series of efficacious interlinked articles that were staged as a self-contained whole. Along with emphasizing the discursive competence of medicine and legislation this staging focused on the perpetuation of a heteronormative order. Employing the variables sex, gender and desire as well as their interconnections highlights the normalizing processes of (re-)construction tied to such a perpetuation. At the same time it discloses staging strategies, which enable an analysis of Lili Elvenes’ agency. By pursuing this notion of agency such an analysis demonstrates how the transsexual subject is embedded in dominant discourses.