136:. Simmons was born in Sussex as Gordon Langley Hall to Jack Copper, Vita Sackville-West's chauffeur, and another servant, Marjorie Hall Ticehurst, before they were married. Although she claimed to have been born with an unusual condition causing the swelling of her genitals with the result that she was mistakenly identified as a boy, Charleston author Edward Ball's book
295:, and the ceremony was carried out in their drawing room reportedly after threats to bomb the church. After a second ceremony in England, the crate containing their wedding gifts was firebombed in Charleston, and Simmons received a ticket the next day when the charred remains were obstructing a sidewalk.
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UK and
Ireland, Incoming Passenger Lists, 1878-1960: Name: Gordon Hall Arrival Age: 33 Birth Date: 16 Oct 1922 Address: Sissinghurst Castle, Cranbrook Occupation: Author Port of Departure: New York, New York, USA Arrival Date: 7 Jun 1956 Port of Arrival: Southampton, England Ports of Voyage: New
298:
On 17 October 1971, her daughter, Natasha
Margienell Manigault Paul Simmons, was born, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Hall claims to have been told by John-Paul Simmons that Natasha was his child from another relationship, although "Natasha fervently believed Dawn was her mother".
284:
Simmons legally changed her name to Dawn Pepita
Langley Hall, and became engaged to John-Paul Simmons, then a young black motor mechanic with dreams of becoming a sculptor. Their marriage on 21 January 1969 was one of the first in South Carolina after
318:. After spending several years in Hudson, New York, she moved in with her daughter and three grandchildren, who had returned to Charleston. In 1985, while back in Charleston, Simmons was featured as an extra in several scenes of
364:
titled "Dawn". Hitt, a native of
Charleston, had grown up down the street from Simmons. From interviews, including with Simmons, Hitt assembled stories of her transsexuality, interracial marriages in the South, her rumoured
390:
directed a 34-minute documentary about
Simmons titled after her autobiography Dawn: A Charleston Legend that included interviews with her daughter and her sister-in-law.
221:, became enamored with the young author and she and Davis agreed to serve as unofficial adoptive parents. Subsequently, Simmons and Whitney purchased a house in
182:, Simmons moved back to England in 1947, to teach theatre at the Gregg School in Croydon, Surrey. She moved to the United States in 1950, and became the
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213:(1970) among many more. While living in Whitney's New York townhouse in the 1950s, Simmons was introduced to Margaret Rutherford and her husband
194:. Shortly after moving to New York, Simmons met artist Isabel Whitney, beginning a friendship that would last until Whitney's death in 1962.
276:, he disputes Simmons' claim that she was intersex, suggesting instead that Simmons had male genitalia and was unable to bear children.
351:, set in 1969, the character Marwood reads a tabloid newspaper article about Gordon Langley Hall, entitled "I Had to Become a Woman".
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During this time, Simmons began a prolific writing career, including a series of biographies which covered personalities such as
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elite. Simmons began restoring the house, and designed the interior with early
American antiques and furniture by
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116:, whom she considered an adoptive mother, and who was the subject of a biography Simmons wrote in later years.
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In 1946 Simmons emigrated to Canada. Still living as a man, she crewcut her hair and became a teacher on the
245:. Much later, shortly before her death, her pursuit of Chippendale pieces brought her into contact with
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112:, Simmons lived her first decades as a male. As a young adult, she became close to British actress
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As a child, Simmons was raised by her grandmother and at one point visited the castle and met
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217:. Rutherford, interested in meeting Simmons to discuss a role in a possible adaptation of
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108:(16 October 1922 – 18 September 2000) was an English author and biographer. Born as
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in
Missouri before moving to New York and working as the society editor of the
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York Ship Name: Liberte
Shipping Line: French Line Official Number: 5270/30
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In 1982, Simmons divorced John-Paul
Simmons, who had been abusive and had
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neighbourhood of
Charleston, a neighbourhood known for housing the city's
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After an intruder raped Simmons and broke her arm, the family moved to
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260:, as well as an internal uterus and ovaries, and was inappropriately
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253:
802:
Peninsula of Lies: A True Story of Mysterious Birth and Taboo Love
162:
153:, which bears a striking resemblance to Simmons' own life story.
169:, experiences from which were translated into the best-selling
377:. Hitt expanded the piece for publication in the October 1998
233:
The mansion Simmons purchased with Whitney was located in the
238:
38:
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In her autobiographical books, Simmons said she was born
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Wicked Charleston: Prostitutes, Politics and Prohibition
406:
Saraband for a saint: A modern morality play in two acts
337:, and died at her daughter's home on 18 September 2000.
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in 1968, carried out by Dr. Milton Edgerton. In Ball's
681:"Dawn Langley Simmons, Flaymboyant Writer, Dies at 77"
488:Dear Vagabonds: The story of Roy and Brownie Adams
974:Hitt, Jack (October 1998). "The Legend of Dawn".
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864:
834:"The tale of the sex-change boy who had a baby"
732:
624:. Rubenstein Rare Book and Manuscript Library,
369:powers, and rumoured hosting of a full-fledged
622:"Inventory of the Dawn Langley Simmons Papers"
466:: The story of the girl who sculptured Lincoln
531:Man into woman: a transsexual autobiography
952:. Season 1. Episode 15. 28 February 1996.
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173:(1955)—the first of many published books.
865:Langley Simmons, Dawn (7 February 1988).
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140:(2004) states that she was born male.
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736:Margaret Rutherford: A blithe spirit
679:Smith, Dinitia (24 September 2000).
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708:"Index entry: Births 1922 December"
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570:The Great White Owl of Sissinghurst
442:, the first American woman in Burma
176:After a stint as an editor for the
128:, the English estate of biographer
13:
997:. The History Press. p. 116.
891:Bruce Robinson (director) (1987).
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516:William, Father of The Netherlands
482:: The story of American evangelism
124:Simmons' parents were servants at
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1087:20th-century English LGBT people
1067:LGBTQ people from South Carolina
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472:Jacqueline Kennedy: A biography
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291:invalidated state laws against
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867:"Waging Justice in Charleston"
733:Langley Simmons, Dawn (1983).
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1042:English transgender writers
510:Lady Bird and her daughters
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106:Dawn Langley Pepita Simmons
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223:Charleston, South Carolina
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1072:Women's page journalists
1052:English LGBT journalists
908:Robinson, Bruce (1987).
266:sex reassignment surgery
114:Dame Margaret Rutherford
1037:Transgender journalists
991:Jones, Mark R. (2006).
192:Port Chester Daily Item
132:and his novelist wife,
1047:British intersex women
805:. Simon and Schuster.
432:The Enchanted Bungalow
270:Johns Hopkins Hospital
262:assigned male at birth
229:Move to South Carolina
504:Mr Jefferson's Ladies
440:Ann Hasseltine Judson
310:Later years and death
293:interracial marriage
264:. Simmons underwent
150:Orlando: A Biography
25:Dawn Langley Simmons
553:Margaret Rutherford
448:Peter Jumping Horse
386:In 2022, filmmaker
335:Parkinson's disease
258:ambiguous genitalia
179:Winnipeg Free Press
134:Vita Sackville-West
126:Sissinghurst Castle
110:Gordon Langley Hall
34:Gordon Langley Hall
949:This American Life
871:The New York Times
686:The New York Times
561:The Two Worlds of
361:This American Life
304:Catskill, New York
288:Loving v. Virginia
243:Thomas Chippendale
203:Jacqueline Kennedy
165:native reserve on
1004:978-1-59629-134-8
919:. dailyscript.com
844:Brighton and Hove
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555:: A blithe spirit
524:Mary Todd Lincoln
454:The two lives of
425:Princess Margaret
418:The Gypsy Condesa
412:Me Papoose Sitter
345:In the 1987 film
274:Peninsula of Lies
219:Me Papoose Sitter
211:Mary Todd Lincoln
207:Lady Bird Johnson
199:Princess Margaret
188:Nevada Daily Mail
171:Me Papoose Sitter
138:Peninsula of Lies
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546:: Her Life Story
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1057:1920s births
1008:. Retrieved
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874:. Retrieved
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816:. Retrieved
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797:Ball, Edward
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716:. Retrieved
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629:. Retrieved
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537:All for Love
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1062:2000 deaths
631:16 November
464:Vinnie Ream
247:Edward Ball
1026:Categories
954:Transcript
739:. Barker.
718:9 February
593:References
341:In culture
323:miniseries
120:Early life
69:Biographer
63:Occupation
1010:8 October
959:6 October
923:6 October
850:15 August
839:The Argus
388:Ron Davis
375:chihuahua
356:Jack Hitt
41:, England
917:(Script)
799:(2004).
456:Baby Doe
373:for her
280:Marriage
254:intersex
205:(1964),
201:(1958),
186:for the
96:Children
80:Language
72:Essayist
876:11 June
818:11 June
752:10 June
712:FreeBMD
692:10 June
494:Osceola
354:Author
163:Ojibway
83:English
1001:
944:"Dawn"
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584:(1995)
578:(1994)
572:(1993)
566:(1992)
557:(1983)
548:(1979)
539:(1975)
533:(1971)
527:(1970)
518:(1969)
512:(1967)
506:(1966)
496:(1964)
490:(1964)
484:(1964)
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468:(1963)
459:(1962)
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434:(1959)
428:(1958)
420:(1958)
414:(1955)
408:(1954)
367:voodoo
88:Spouse
58:, U.S.
714:. ONS
371:debut
320:ABC's
256:with
239:queer
1012:2012
999:ISBN
961:2012
925:2012
878:2009
852:2013
820:2009
807:ISBN
754:2009
741:ISBN
720:2013
694:2009
633:2012
478:The
46:Died
39:Kent
31:Born
268:at
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977:GQ
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380:GQ
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