A special commemoration service took place in Liverpool today to remember and celebrate inspirational trans-pioneer, April Ashley.
The private event at St George’s Hall saw the Lord Mayor of Liverpool Roy Gladden, and assistant mayor, councillor Harry Doyle, join some of April’s closest friends and family as they shared fond memories and paid tribute to the extraordinary life of the model, actress and restaurateur who died last December.
Those in attendance included April’s lifelong friend Peter Maddock who shared a number of video messages including one from the film director and Hairspray creator, John Waters, and her second husband Jeff West. One of April's friends, Glyn Albarn Roberts, travelled from Wales whereas Vera Nielsen Taylor ventured from France to mark the special day. Glyn, first met April in 1977, whilst he was studying History in London; the two struck up a friendship while both enjoying the boat races at Oxford.
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While sipping on champagne which had been recovered from April's house, Glyn told the ECHO : "April was a very proud woman, especially of what she had achieved and one of the things she was most proud of was being embraced by the same city that treated her badly as a kid. She died happily knowing her city accepted her as a woman in every sense of the world."
Vera, who first came to know of April in 1975, added: "Although April was an extravagant character, she was full of good old-fashioned advice and she told me once when I confided a problem that one should never bear grudges. During her life, she was often treated badly by the press and society as an individual. Her advice to me was to simply put this offence out of your mind and therefore it doesn't exist and so cannot harm you. It is advice I remember."
The service marked the start of a journey to bring an archive of April’s personal memorabilia, clothes, jewellery, letters and photographs back to her home city. The unique collection consists of thousands of artefacts such as diaries, address books, correspondence with Elizabeth Taylor and former partner Grayson Perry, and even fan letters including one from a man who offered to take April to Venus on his rocket ship. There are also a series of legal documents relating to her marriage annulment and her fight for legal recognition as a woman.
These items are currently in private ownership in the city and once catalogued will be professionally archived and a legacy group will be established in collaboration with Liverpool City Council to preserve her memory. Part of April’s archive has already been donated to Liverpool City Archives in 2014 following the year-long exhibition about her life at the Museum of Liverpool that attracted 900,000 visitors.
Lord Mayor of Liverpool, Councillor Roy Gladden, said: “This service gives us the chance to celebrate the life of a very special woman and proud Liverpudlian. Icon, trailblazer and legendary activist are all fitting titles for April who was dedicated to fighting for her rightful, recognised place in society.”
April was born in the Liverpool maternity hospital on Oxford Street in 1935. She spent her childhood on Pitt Street, L1 then Teynham Crescent L11, before joining the Merchant Navy and eventually living in London, Hay on Wye, Paris and California. She was one of the first people in the world to undergo gender reassignment surgery.
April was only the ninth patient of Dr Georges Burou, a pioneer of gender reassignment surgery. She started living as April during her time in Paris when she saved up £3,000 - the equivalent of over £70,000 in 2020 - for Burou's seven-hour surgery by working at a drag club called Le Carrousel. Just as her career as an actor and Vogue model was blossoming back in Britain after surgery, the Sunday People outed April as transgender in 1961.
April previously told the ECHO about this "horrendous time". She said : "My career was destroyed, and apart from jobs where you were paid under the table, I never worked again. With others, when they found out, my shifts would be changed, my hours reduced, and then they would tell me they didn’t need me, but then advertise for someone else. It was heartbreaking because I would have been a movie star. Every time I met directors they said they were going to make me a star. They’d say, 'with that figure, that face, those legs and that body', then they turned their backs on me."
Even after moving to the USA and working as a waitress or hostess, April's past always loomed close behind. And every time it caught up, the work disappeared. Nevertheless, April lived an incredible life which many of her close friends fondly remembered today. They spoke about how she met many twentieth-century icons including Einstein and Picasso and performed for others such as Elvis, Salvador Dali and Bob Hope at the world-famous Le Carrousel club. They also recalled how being photographed by David Bailey she was once regarded as Vogue’s top underwear model in the 1960s.
April died in London two days after Christmas Day last year, aged 86. Her "last wishes" came true as she was buried with her father and grandparents in Ford Cemetery, Litherland in January. It is believed there are several television and film companies working on productions about April’s life and a book is in development.
Assistant mayor and cabinet member for culture and visitor economy, councillor Harry Doyle, added: “April Ashley was a true pioneer. She was Made Citizen of Honour on her eightieth birthday in recognition of the impact she has had on social history and rewarded with an MBE for services to the transgender community. I am delighted to support this event which welcomes her amazing archive back to the city she loved and which in turn loved her. “
