Alan L. Hart – Eminent Person
“Always regarded herself as a boy, she early claimed that she would be one if only her family would permit her to cut her hair and wear trousers” – This was the description of Alan L. Hart. Not only was he a notable trans man, but an excellent doctor and husband.
I have chosen to research Alan Hart because I think we have a lot in common. We are both very resilient and hard workers, we are both trans, and we are both very creative and enjoy writing. We have also both had to undergo the struggle of not fitting in and having people challenge your identity, and we have worked hard to be where we are. I hope to one day be as confident in my identity as he was and learn to appreciate the wisdom and weight he had on the world. We share the goals of gaining confidence and intelligence, and being able to stand up and fight for what we believe in. Though we are so similar in so many ways, I do struggle to relate to his interests in the medical field. He was a physician, radiologist, and tuberculosis researcher who saved countless lives. Though I am not personally connected with the medical field in any way, I can see how rewarding it must be to make such a large impact on so many people’s lives and give people new opportunities that they didn’t think were possible. We have also lived in different time, which might make it difficult to understand some of his struggles as a trans man in that era. I am open-minded however, and I hope to learn more about his age and interests in medicine to better relate to him and his passions. Alan Hart was truly an inspiration to many. He saved countless lives in his field, and he has shown people that it is okay to be yourself, and that you don’t need to hide your identity to be successful. He will be remembered by many as the person that paved the way for other trans people to live happy and safe lives. He didn’t have it easy, however. He was shunned by his peers from a young age. Not fitting in with the boys, and not fitting in with the girls meant that he opted to avoid social interaction altogether, and instead engrossed himself in his studies. He was very isolated. Even after graduating and making his transition into a man, he still had to hide from the people who knew him before he came out. Alan even lost job opportunities because he was so scared of the torment he would face if the world found out who he really was. Alan Hart deserves to be remembered for how hard he fought; to be a doctor, to be a writer, to be a man. By studying him, we can learn what it is really like to be different and how to battle in the face of adversity. He deserves to be recognized not only for his struggles, but his perseverance and his constant efforts to show who he truly is, a man.
For my next phase of research, I hope to learn more about his medical work and learn more about his relationships with other people. I am also curious to find out more about the effects that he has had on others, especially transgender people in the 21st century.
Hey Hannah, your connection to Alan seems to be very strong and I liked how you connected your struggles with his. I think it makes the readers view your connection as stronger like it did for me. I liked how you viewed the career barrier in a different way and in his possible perspective of why he decided to work in medicine. Including your understanding from your perspective helped me to see how connected you are with him. Some feedback I have would to separate your writing into paragraphs. It would have made it more clear what parts you were talking about. I think separating the questions answered into even just eminence and personal connections would have helped me to navigate my reading. -Sinu
I love your paragraph, Hannah! Your points are clear and concise, I was able to read and understand your answers clearly. Your quote informed me about your person and his values; Alan’s achievements are inspirational and have most definitely changed many lives. Alan’s work must’ve changed many things in medicine, and it is amazing how he saved so many lives. Your ending sentence really left an impression on me, it was powerful and moving. The connections you share with your eminent person makes your paragraph sound very passionate and it adds depth to your post. In the future, perhaps try experimenting with more visual designs, but other then that your post was educating and well-written!
– Mandy
Hi Hannah!
Right away, I enjoyed that you shared how you were connected and the similarities you share. You made a strong argument for why you should represent Alan for eminent. It was an effective introduction into your paragraph. You also did a good job integrating his struggles, with identity and his peers, throughout the paragraph. Overall, a very strong introduction paragraph. One question I have is, what specifically did he contribute to the field of radiology?
Keep up the great work!
-Lucas
I like how you really showed your connections with him, and your post was very informative on his life and achievements. You gave a detailed explanation of his struggles and his life in general. Maybe you could have added a few more pictures to break up the giant block of text in the middle, but otherwise you did a great job.
I loved the detail that you put into this, it was super interesting to learn about how Alan contributed both to the medical field and the betterment of the future lives of trans individuals. my only constructive feedback would be that I think the formatting of some of your sentences was slightly off, but overall an amazing post!