Dora Richter and the First Known Vaginoplasty

Long before “gender-affirming care” became a political talking point, Dora Richter was quietly living her truth in Berlin, Germany — and making medical history.

Born in 1891 in Bohemia, Dora identified as female from a young age. In the early 20th century, she moved to Berlin, a city that, under the progressive Weimar Republic, had become a hub for LGBTQ+ life. She found employment and refuge at the Institut für Sexualwissenschaft (Institute for Sexual Science), led by the pioneering sexologist Magnus Hirschfeld.

It was here, in 1931, that Dora underwent what is widely considered the first documented complete male-to-female gender-affirming surgery — including orchiectomy, penectomy, and vaginoplasty — performed by Dr. Ludwig Levy-Lenz and his colleagues. This was a medical milestone decades ahead of its time.

Dora’s surgery and life at the Institute symbolized a rare window of trans visibility and support in early 20th-century Europe. But in 1933, the Nazis raided and destroyed the Institute, burning thousands of research documents. Dora’s fate after this is largely unknown, though some historians believe she perished in the chaos that followed. Her surgery challenged medical and societal norms nearly a century ago. Her courage, and the progressive science of Hirschfeld’s institute, represent an early affirmation of trans identities that counters the myth that gender diversity is “new.”

Dora wasn’t the only trans woman at the Institute — others, like Charlotte Charlaque, were also part of its community, showing a rich and often erased trans history in pre-war Europe.

At Big Gay Smiles, we know that affirming someone’s identity — whether through pronouns, respect, or a dazzling smile — is life-changing. Dora’s story reminds us that affirmation has always been a radical act of love.

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