Green’s Dictionary of Slang

female; pertaining to female or feminist concerns.

1837		Chester Chron. (Cheshire) 19 May 1/7: The man that cuts off a woman’s head can be no friend to the shemale sex anyhow.
1851		Dumfries & Galloway Standard (Scot.) 26 Nov. 2/1: Bloomerism [...] a sort of shemale dress [...] a fashion of Sister Jonathon’s. trousers tight at the ankles.
[1852		Bell’s Life in Sydney 3 July 3/3: A She-male Servant. - A tall strong-built woman, named Dolly Newman, was summoned by Mr James Cooper, for being obstropolous in his house].
1876		Hull Packet (Yorks.) 13 Oct. 5/6: The showman is a wit — he says ‘no shemale gals here’.
1900		Bulletin (Sydney) 17 Nov. 18/2: Sydney Sunday Times has spread itself on the great ‘Population Problem.’ The world can now go to sleep on the subject; the Hen Oracle has spoken, and great is the cackle thereof. The suppression of preventative practices is impossible, says the shemale organ.
1903		‘Dads Wayback’ in Sun. Times (Sydney) 4 Jan. 9/4: ‘Shemale missionaries is: mostly gals er bit off color, an' who can’t get partners fer ther poliey when they goes ter a darnse’.
1914		Truth (Melbourne) 31 Jan. 10/7: A shemale scribe, writing to one of the dailies [etc.].
1919		Van Loan ‘Chivalry in Carbon County’ in Score by Innings (2004) 323: A she-male ball team was coming.
1925		D.B. Heyward Porgy (1945) 43: He shook his head. ‘No; it ain’t no use. Yuh wouldn’t onderstan’. Dat somet’ing shemale sense ain’t goin’ tuh help yuh none wid.’.
1942		R.L. Bellem ‘Daughter of Murder’ Dan Turner – Hollywood Detective Dec. 🌐 She was something extra special in the way of youthful she-male yumph.
1943		R.L. Bellem ‘Feature Snatch!’ Dan Turner - Hollywood Detective Feb. 🌐 ‘You won’t go anywhere for a while,’ a she-male voice informed me quietly.