Pride Month Special: Former Emery High Teacher & Trans Rights Pioneer Steve Dain

June 25, 2019
20
6 mins read

Emeryville Civic Center is once again proudly flying the pride flag for the month as we have for years. Additionally, the city is flying a second, less familiar flag consisting of a horizontal white stripe sandwiched by two light blue and two pink stripes. The Transgender Pride Flag is a symbol of transgender pride, diversity and transgender rights.

Emeryville may seem like an unlikely city to be at the forefront of trans activism, but decades ago, our city was at the center of a protracted legal fight involving an early transsexual rights pioneer named Steve Dain.

Born ‘Doris Richards’

Dain was born ‘Doris Richards’ in 1939 and grew up in Oakland. Richards attended high school at Oakland Tech where he graduated in 1957. He was accepted to UC Berkeley where he received his B.A. in 1961 followed by his Masters in Physical Education & Child Development in 1963.

Following graduation, Richards was hired as a teacher at Arroyo High in San Lorenzo. Richards’ teaching career eventually led him to Emery High in 1966 where he taught girl’s Physical Education. During his decade as a teacher, he was honored with a ‘teacher of the year’ award and achieved tenure.

Richards was a successful teacher, but struggled in his personal life with a gender that he knew was incorrect. His first marriage to a man ended in divorce. “My torment came from … inside, inside me,” Dain openly confessed after later transitioning. “I wanted to be who I was. I wanted to also fit. And to be who I was and fit would not go together.”

Richards described being thought of as a ‘tomboy’ growing up. “The counselor that I sought at that time felt that I had masculine protesting, the term that they used at that time, or ‘penis envy’ and that I wanted to be a boy and that if I didn’t get it straightened out, I’d be a lesbian.”

Dain noted the fatigue of applying makeup and maintaining his weight to appear ‘feminine’. “Emotionally, the desire to be a woman and a girl had been a most overwhelming drive ever since I can remember,” Dain noted in a 1976 news article.


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Female to Male Transition in 1975 Sparks Controversy

In 1975 at the age of 36, Richards made the decision to have gender reassignment surgery at Stanford’s Gender Dysphoria Center after an exhaustive series of tests.

Richards took a six-month medical leave to undergo the long and difficult process of transitioning. The female-to-male procedure begins with hormone therapy with testosterone and involves several separate surgeries including male chest reconstruction, a hysterectomy and genital reassignment. Christine Jorgensen is credited with being the first American to receive a male-to-female procedure in Europe back in 1951.

“I wasn’t female gendered, I was female sexed,” Dain later reflected expressing relief for the success of the procedure. “It’s the gender that let’s you be who you are. So if I’m male gendered, I gotta line the body up. Now I’m a whole person.”

Mon, Nov 22, 1976 – Page 126 · The Los Angeles Times (Los Angeles, California) · Newspapers.com

“Immoral Conduct” Charge by Superintendent

In addition to the procedure, Richards legally changed his name to ‘Steven Dain,’ assumed the use of masculine pronouns and began living life as a man. Sporting a beard and mustache, he returned to Emery High the following Summer and announced his transition.

He received a mixed reaction from the community described as ‘curious’ by some and ‘downright horror’ by others. Dain was open about the procedure and explained to the students that voluntarily gathered in the cafeteria what had transpired. “Although they were all curious about the details of the sex-change operation itself, practically every one of them asked me two questions: First, was I happier? And, second, when was I coming back to school?,” Dain noted in his typically straightforward manner in this 1976 L.A. Times article by journalist Bella Stumbo.

Not everyone was accepting of Dain’s transition though and the article went on to describe some parents, armed with bibles, declaring Dain had “violated God’s laws” with some referring to him as a “thing.” Support and opposition for Dain divided the town.

Stommel (rear) observes Dain, accompanied by his lawyer Larry Sleizer, being arrested by EPD Lt. Dave Reno for “willful disturbance” of a public meeting. Stommel initiated the incident by making a citizen’s arrest.” (Photo: Newspapers.com archive).

Then Emery Superintendent Lewis Stommel, along with members of the School Board, led the charge to fire Dain citing “immoral conduct” and “evident unfitness for service.” Stommel, describes as a bombastic character, questioned what bathroom Dain would use, the precedent it would set for other districts and accused Dain of showing his genitals to female students. “And I’m telling you, kids here just don’t understand this hanky panky of people going around chopping off their breasts,” according to the news archive above. “[Emeryville] is still just a small industrial community, predominately black filled with broken families and confused kids.”

The district also accused Dain of conducting “unauthorized lectures on school premises” for discussing his procedure with students. The board moved to fire Dain by first suspending him.

Dain sued for wrongful termination noting he did not violate any specific NEA code of ethics and was successfully reinstated. He was awarded backpay and compensated for his legal fees. Upon his pending return, the EUSD Board moved to terminate him for wrongful use of medical leave. After a four year fight, Dain could not continue the expensive legal fight and he opted to move on.

Next Transition: A Career Transition

The high-profile legal fight and lawsuit garnered massive media attention and highlighted a pioneering transsexual civil rights movement. This attention also made it difficult for Dain to land another teaching job and he ultimately abandoned the profession. Dain worked briefly as a tile-setter and in construction before opting to pursue a Chiropractic Degree. Upon graduation from Life Chiropractic College West, he opened a small practice in Union City.

Dain became a somewhat reluctant but outspoken advocate for transsexual rights at the time. Dain furthered his profile by being featured in the 1985 HBO Documentary “What Sex am I?” directed by Oscar-winning actress Lee Grant (available for rent on Vimeo for $2.99). The groundbreaking film took an early sympathetic look at transsexuals and transvestites and challenged the meaning of gender.

Dain also became a successful community college professor at Ohlone in Fremont where he taught Biology. Throughout his life he was sought out as a mentor by other members of the trans community. His lifelong learning led him to eventually complete a Doctor of Naturopathy Degree in 2006.

Dain had a passion for animals and was nicknamed “Dr. Doolittle” for his eclectic collection that included a rabbit, raccoon, iguana, rats, pot-bellied pigs, cats, fish, birds, and a variety of dog breeds.

Dain Succumbs to Breast Cancer at the age of 67

Dain was  diagnosed with breast cancer in 2001 and it returned in 2004 and again in 2007. The third time ultimately claimed his life. He passed on October 10, 2007.

“He fought a vigilant fight right up to the end,” reads Dain’s obituary (which makes no mention of his transsexual background). “He continued to live every day to the fullest and enjoyed each and every moment. Steve was truly one of a kind. His love, caring and compassion will be missed by all.” The obituary described Emery High as where he “had the greatest impact of his teaching career.”

Dain is survived by his wife Robyn, two step-children and a multitude of other family members.

Emery High Considering Naming EHS Gym after Dain

Advocates, looking to cement Dain’s historical role in our town, have began lobbying for the ECCL’s gymnasium to be named after him. Dain is among a long list of candidates being considered by the Emery USD Board of Trustees that includes legendary Emery High basketball coach Elio Abrami who coached for 38 years. Abrami passed away last year at the age of 92.

There were two public hearings to review nominees where feedback was collected. The School Board is scheduled to approve the name of the gymnasium on Wednesday, June 26th. “In naming the gym after Steve Dain, we have the opportunity to both celebrate our renovated gym and recognize the rights of LBGTQ+ to live and work in our community,” it states in the public notice.

Dain’s surviving spouse Robyn expressed her strong support for the naming of the building after her husband. “I would be so honored for Steve and he is truly deserving. He loved his students and always made himself available to them and any members of the community that needed guidance.” Robyn moved from the Bay Area to Stanislaus County after Steve’s death.

If activists succeed in having the gym named after Dain, it would likely be the first government building named after a trans person according to the The Bay Area Reporter LGBTQ news website.

Feature Image: Screen capture from Lee Grant’s “What Sex Am I?” Documentary film.

For a more articulate and comprehensive glossary explaining the difference between transgender and transsexual and other LGBTQ+ terminology, please refer to this AP Topical Guide.

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Rob Arias

is a third generation Californian and East Bay native who lived in Emeryville from 2003 to 2021. Rob founded The E'ville Eye in 2011 after being robbed at gunpoint and lamenting the lack of local news coverage. Rob's "day job" is as a creative professional.

20 Comments

  1. Agreed! Great article. I was an Emeryville resident for 14 years, and I was a good friend of Steve’s (we grew up in the same Oakland neighborhood). He was a gifted teacher who truly loved facilitating learning, and his resilience in the face of the EUSD Board’s knee-jerk condemnation is both remarkable and exemplary. He deserves the recognition 1000 times over, and I hope the School Board will honor him now.

    • I was glad to see your warm support for this article, especially as you had lived in Emeryville and knew Steve from an early age, long before his transition. Thank you for standing up! — for the editor, and for Steve!

  2. I read this article as it was linked to the story about the schoolboard that was posted today. I’m a little disheartened to find that you felt the need to refer to part of Dain’s past with female pronouns. If you check the style guides used by orgs like NYTimes, NPR, AP etc you’ll find that the proper usage is to use the person’s current pronouns throughout the story. When I went to school for journalism this never came up, but it’s 2019 and we now have years of good practice on how to write about trans people.

    • The AP stylebook I referred to when writing this made no mention of this and I had a trans friend, two fellow journo’s and Steve’s surviving spouse review this. It does say “Use the name by which a transgender person now lives. Refer to a previous name, sometimes called a ‘deadname’, only if relevant to the story.” In this case, since this is a historical account of Steve’s life, I construed this to be relevant. If you have an updated style guide, please provide a link.

      • I appreciate your coverage of Steve Dain. As a writer and trans person myself, it saddened me to read your use of the wrong pronouns until the point where he medically transitioned. Doing this reinforces the sensationalism behind surgical transitioning. From a point of respect and kindness, I think it’s appropriate to address Steve as the gender and name he fought so hard for, the identity for which he lost his job and endured the legal battles you describe above. Can’t you see, at least a little bit, how referring to Steve’s deadname and pronouns insults the struggles he went through? Lastly, since you asked for a guide, here is the HRC’s Guide To Getting Transgender Coverage Right: https://www.hrc.org/resources/reporting-about-transgender-people-read-this
        Please see Number 5.

      • “Can’t you see, at least a little bit, how referring to Steve’s deadname and pronouns insults the struggles he went through?”

        It does not. It describes the struggles he went through. You can’t tell this story of transition without the transition.

        You are eliminating and minimizing the struggles he went through by trying to eliminate his early life from the story. And that early life was under a different name and pronoun.

        Can’t you see, at least a little bit, (and yes that’s as rude and obnoxious when I write it as when you did), that you do not get to rewrite Dain’s life to align with your beliefs about pronouns and dead names? Dain’s spouse is a FAR better judge of how Dain would have wanted the story told than you are.

        Your goal was to impose your standards on others. Rob’s goal was to tell Dain’s story. Rob did a great job telling the story, and you came and made it about you.

  3. I was a student at Life West Chiropractic in the 1990’s and Dr. Dain was one of my favorite teachers. He was an awesome teacher and person.

  4. You had it right the first time. You reported the story as a journalist, telling the story as it occurred. The change forced you to tell the story in the voice of an activist, telling the story as others wish it to be told.

    The story of Dain’s life has now been made nearly incomprehensible. It is a story of transitioning from her to him and all the difficulties that entailed. Rewritten as a transition from him to him makes it absolutely baffling.

    The commenters here, in their effort to impose their own standards and call you out for not abiding by them, ruined an excellent bit of reporting.

    I imagine if Dain were here, he would have appreciated the work in its original form because it was HIS story. A few of the commenters, disappointingly, tried to appropriate it and make it THEIR story instead.

    • I totally agree with you, especially with your statement that this “…is a story of transitioning from her to him, and all the difficulties that entailed. Rewritten as a transition from him to him makes it absolutely baffling.”

      Thank you for expressing my thoughts so precisely.

  5. Why would you write Emeryville] is still just a small industrial community, predominately black filled with BROKEN FAMILIES and CONFUSED KIDS”. I lived in Emeryville during that time I remember everything. Back to my point you owe the black community an apology. At least 98% of the respondents were 2 parent families.

    • Did you read the article? That was a quote from the Superintendent at the time in 1976 Lewis Stommel. Are you asking for an apology from him (not sure if he’s alive) or from me for reporting what he said?

  6. Interesting article. Steve Dain was my gym teacher when he was still Doris Richardson. I recall her as being kind and helpful to us young girls, schooling us through puberty and good hygiene. Later ,I did see the HBO documentary where Steve Dains was featured. I am sorry to hear of his death to cancer. Personally, I disagree with his choices and I have an opinion on just about everything. However, I believe in letting people be themselves, it’s their life. Sharon Davis Cayer
    Emery Student
    1966-1968

  7. Steve Dain was the guest speaker for my Biology 9, Biology of Sex class at Ohlone College in the Winter of 1977. He told his interesting story. The class was mesmerized learning about his ordeal. The amount of testing and thought he had to go through. He was a fabulous guest and it didn’t surprise me that he later taught at Ohlone College. They say he taught Biology. Was it Biology 9? RIP Steve Dain. Thank you for your visit to my class.

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