In 1975, a trans woman named Nicole Murray was prosecuted in San Diego under the local law that banned cross-dressing “with intent to deceive and for the purpose of committing an unlawful act.” Municipal Court Judge Earl K. Adams upheld the law and ordered Murray to stand trial on the misdemeanor charge. Murray’s attorney noted that trans people like Murray were specifically being targeted by law enforcement, while other people who wore unisex styles or dressed up in clothes associated with the opposite sex were not being cited for violation of the law. The quarterly magazine Drag reported about this case in their news section.
“San Diego Court Ruling Backs Clothing Ordinance,” Drag vol. 5 no. 18, 1975, 5.
This issue of the Drag magazine has been digitized by the Digital Transgender Archive. Page 5 is pictured below.
