“I guide my life. It is mine.”
Jackie Shane (1940 – 2019) was the toast of Toronto’s music scene in the 1960s and a true trailblazer. She lived her life on her own terms, at a time when white society restricted the freedoms of Black and 2SLGBTQ+ communities.
Born in Nashville, Tennessee, Shane arrived in the city in 1961 and soon began performing at Richmond Street’s Saphire Tavern. She typically wore dresses and make-up, and used feminine pronouns among close friends and family. Shane confirmed her identity as a trans woman in 2017. She moved to Los Angeles in 1971, to care for an ailing relative. She later regretted the move, wishing they’d come to Toronto together instead.