Edward Ball - Peninsula of Lies: A True Story of Mysterious Birth...

2005, Dawn Langley Simmons, Edward Ball, English,

Full title: "Peninsula of Lies: A True Story of Mysterious Birth and Taboo Love" by Edward Ball.

"Peninsula of Lies is a nonfiction mystery, set in a haunting gothic locale and peopled by fascinating and eccentric characters. Its hero and heroine is Dawn Langley Simmons, a British writer who lived in Charleston, South Carolina, during the 1960s and became the center of one of the most unusual sexual scandals.

Born in England, Dawn began life as a boy named Gordon Langley Hall, the son of servants at Sissinghurst Castle, the estate of Vita Sackville-West. In his twenties he made his way to New York, where he wrote about and befriended great society ladies.

A small fortune inherited from Isabel Whitney allowed him to buy and decorate a mansion in Charleston. But Gordon's world changed in 1968 when at The John Hopkins Hospital he underwent one of the first sexual reassignment surgeries, scandalizing the Southern community that had welcomed him.

Months later Gordon shocked Charleston again. Gordon -- now Dawn -- married a young black mechanic, soon appeared to be pregnant, and shortly thereafter became the mother of a young girl."

Dawn must have been an amazing woman, and probably she should be regarded as one of the trans pioneers. 

This is what we can read about her on Wikipedia: "Dawn Langley Pepita Simmons (1922–2000) was a prolific English author and biographer. Born as Gordon Langley Hall, Simmons lived her first decades as a male. As a young adult, she became close to British actress Dame Margaret Rutherford, whom she considered an adoptive mother, and who was the subject of a biography Simmons wrote in later years." 

And another excerpt from makingqueerhistory: "But this was not the community for her, and when she got her gender-confirmation surgery from the John Hopkins hospital, the town quickly turned against her. There were many reasons for this turn."

"First, she was having gender-confirmation surgery in 1968; an unpopular choice at the time. Second, she announced shortly after that she was marrying a black man. 1968 Charleston did her no favours in that regard either. And lastly, because she had broken the rules, she was allowed to be queer only so long as she looked straight and stopped people from speaking about it. And people definitely spoke about it."

Dawn Langley Simmons was a British-born American writer and biographer. She was known for her unconventional life and identity. Born Gordon Langley Hall in England, she underwent gender reassignment surgery in 1969 and became Dawn Langley Hall. Later, she adopted the name Dawn Langley Simmons after marrying John Paul Simmons in 1972. Simmons wrote several books, including biographies and novels.

One of her most well-known works is the biography "Man into Woman: The First Sex Change," which chronicled the life of Lili Elbe, one of the earliest known recipients of sex reassignment surgery. Simmons' own life and experiences also became the subject of public interest. 

Dawn Langley Simmons faced challenges and controversies throughout her life, partly due to her unconventional choices and the public scrutiny she faced. Her life and contributions remain a topic of discussion in the context of transgender history and literature.

Available via Amazon

Photos via alchetron.com