Parkhurst" aired. It was loosely based on his life. It featured Frank Gerstle in the role of Parkhurst. In 1969, Janice Holt Giles had Charley Parkhurst as a character in the novel Six Horse Hitch, a historical fiction novel about stage coaching covering the period from 1859 to 1869. In 1999, Pam Muñoz Ryan wrote a fictionalized biography of Parkhurst's life for children, titled Riding Freedom. It is illustrated by Brian Selznick. In 2008, Fern J. Hill wrote a fictional memoir based on Parkhurst's life, Charley's Choice: The Life and Times of Charley Parkhurst. From 2009 to 2010, the Autry National Center of Los Angeles had a series of programs and events, entitled Out West, which included exhibits, lectures, films and other material about LGBT people's contributions to the Old West. Parkhurst was one of the individuals featured in this series. In 2012, Karen Kondazian wrote historical fiction novel, The Whip based loosely on Parkhurst's life. In 2019, an opera about Parkhurst's life premiered at the Cohen New Works Festival in the University of Texas at Austin. Good Country portrays Parkhurst's life in the California Gold Rush, based on written historical accounts, incorporating Old West slang and late 19th century clothing. The opera begins in the year 1849.The libretto was written by Cecelia Raker, and the musical score was composed by Keith Allegretti. The protagonist tenor role of Parkhurst can be considered the first opera composed with a trans man lead vocalist in mind. Over a dozen transgender opera singers around the world applied for the role. The role of Parkhurst was given to Holden Madagame, an American classically-trained tenor and trans activist based in Berlin, who risked losing his career by transitioning. As of 2019, Raker and Allegretti hoped to continue working with Madagame as a dramaturgical consultant and performer to pitch the work to opera companies in hopes of creating a full production. References Further reading Outland, Charles F. Stagecoaching on El Camino Real, American Trails Series, Glendale, California: Arthur H. Clarke Company, 1973 Pryor, Alton. Fascinating Women in California History, Roseville, California: Stagecoach Publishing, 2003, , self-published (no sources or footnotes) Southwick, Albert B. (published 1970 in Carriage Journal), republished in Selected Writings Volume II (2014) , self-published (no sources or footnotes) External links "Charley Darkey Parkhurst had a secret", Santa Cruz Sentinel, 8 October 2006 "The Strange Life and Times of Charley Parkhurst", Metro Active "Survival