Marion (Bill) Edwards
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Marion (Bill) Edwards | |
|---|---|
_Edwards_sketch.webp) | |
| Born | March 19, 1874 Murchison, Victoria, Australia |
| Died | March 22, 1956 (aged 82) |
| Known for | "Australia's first transgender celebrity" |
| Spouse | Lucy Minihan (born Repacholi) |
Marion (Bill) Edwards aka William Ernest Edwards (19 March 1874 – 22 March 1956) was an Australian transsexual who worked as a barman, pony trainer and bookmaker. Edwards has been described as "Australia's first transgender celebrity".
Edwards was said to be born in Wales.[1] but the ADB biography records the birth as being in Murchison in Victoria in 1874.[2]
Edwards went through a marriage ceremony at St Francis' Church, the oldest Catholic church in Melbourne on the millennial New Years Day in 1900.[3] The bride was Lucy Minihan whose birth name was Repacholi. Minihan was a 30 year old widow who owned a lodging-house. The couple separated but Lucy remained a friend. When Edwards was first arrested in 1905 suspected of a hotel burglary it was Lucy who found the £50 required to pay the bail. Edwards however ignored the obligation to appear in court and went to Queensland, so it was Lucy who was sentenced to a month in jail.[2]
In 1906 Edwards came to notice after "William Edwards" was arrested again. Edwards was accused of burglary. The arresting officer Constable Donnely had known Edwards for some time as a man who worked at a local bar. Donnelly was later told that the person he had arrested was a woman. The charges were later dismissed.[4] Edwards was profiled in a Brisbane weekly newspaper in October 1907.[5]
Edwards wrote a biography that was designed to sell as it was partly fiction. The book was titled Life and Adventures of Marion-Bill-Edwards, the most celebrated Man-Woman of Modern Times. Exciting Incidents… Strange Sensations told in a Graphic Manner by Herself. and it included photographs of Edwards wearing men's and women's clothing. The book was published in 1907.[6]
Edwards was profiled by the media, continuing the idea of a birth in Wales. Edwards explained that one of the reasons for dressing as a man was that women generally earned a pound a week and as a man Edwards earned over two.[1]
