Kim Petras, although historic, was not the first trans woman to win a Grammy

On the night of the 5th of February, kim petras made history in Grammy by becoming the first openly transgender woman to win a category at the awards. The artist, however, was not the first trans person to lift one of the statuettes at the event.

That Sunday, the Grammy 2023 celebrated the career of several artists and, among its many categories, chose the track “unholy” such as Best Pop Duo/Group Performance. Therefore, Sam Smith It is kim petras took the stage in matching costumes.

By accepting the figurine, then, kim acknowledged his achievement. “Sam Smith graciously wanted me to accept this award because I am the first transgender woman to win. And I just want to thank all the incredible transgender legends before me who kicked in these doors so I could be here tonight,” she said.

Contrary to what has been reported, however, kim petras was not the first trans woman to conquer a Grammy in the history of the award. That’s because, before her, Wendy Carlosa pioneering trans artist in electronic music, secured three statuettes in the 1970s.

It so happens that, at the time when he conquered the Grammys, wendy still hadn’t revealed her gender identity to the world — and hadn’t even transitioned in any way. That way, when she took the stage, she was recognized as a male performer.

The Story of Wendy Charles

Born in Rhode Island in November 1939, Wendy Carlos fell in love with music at a very young age and grew up surrounded by instruments — and science, her other great passion. Between 1958 and 1962, she studied music and physics at Brown University and later graduated with a master’s degree in music composition from Columbia University.

It was only in 1964, however, that wendy he knew Robert Moogthe creator of the synthesizer moog, which changed the artist’s life forever. With technology, wendy composed an innovative album, the Switched On Bachin 1968, which guaranteed him three Grammys in 1970.

While composing, wendy he was still going through several challenges in his personal life, including the gender transition. The artist came out as a trans woman for the first time in 1968, but only to friends and family. In public, she continued to wear typically masculine clothing and even glued sideburns to her face to conduct interviews.

Thus, when he received three Grammys in 1970, as reflected by the website The Pink News, wendy was not recognized as a trans woman. It was only nine years later, in an interview with the magazine playboywhich the artist spoke openly about her gender.

I remember being convinced I was a little girl, not knowing why my parents didn’t see that clearly.” wendy. “I didn’t understand why they insisted on treating me like a boy.”

Once publicly recognized as a trans woman, wendy began to face several obstacles, many of them related, of course, to prejudice. In her professional life, however, the composer’s career took off, as her songs were included in great film soundtracks, from films such as Clockwork Orange It is The illuminated.

It was exactly at that time that wendy went through the physical transition. Ironically, Stanley Kubrickdirector with whom she worked at the time, did not even notice the changes — in interviews, the composer joked that even if she appeared naked in front of the filmmaker, he would only have asked “if she was cold”.

Second wendywas the book The Transsexual Phenomenon, doctor Harry Benjamin, which sustained her throughout the transition period. “He gave me a little more courage to accept myself and stop bottled up my feelings,” she revealed at the time. “He provided Me with an explanation for all the feelings I had since my earliest memories.”

Today at the age of 83, Wendy Carlos shares details of her life on a public website, which has gotten a lot of attention from fans. Documenting her life on the portal, the composer who was even considered dead because of her gender identity, had her story immortalized by Amanda Sewell in a 2020 biography.