This valuable new edition is specifically for the existing and would be gender changer, for those who are variously intersexed, for those having gender difficulties amongst their children, and families facing the problems of having a "transsexual" in their families. It's a must for everyone these descriptions cover and that the book's title includes.

But frankly, it is not of great interest to those who see themselves only as crossdressers, who can find the answers to some basic general interest questions in the BS Magazine or on our web site, or in other regular publications.

A range of expert comment
This new tome is specifically for those planning life in their opposite gender, both M to F and F to M, for those concerned with their care and treatment, and for the intersexed. The author does, of course, have the backing of a whole range of experts including Jed Bland, Janett Scott, Diana Aitchison of WoBS, GIRES, Mermaids, Charing Cross Hospital, and many more. It is a development of and from earlier Gendys publications and conferences, but there's no point in wasting the highly valued if still current work already published.

If you are considering proceeding with a "sex" change (which should read "gender" change) this involves psychology, counselling, psychiatry, genetics, politics, law, and sociology. Plus practical subjects such as assessments, surgery, employment, family matters, treatment, electrology, speech therapy and just learning how to be a person of the opposite gender - or adapting to one that may have been wrongly diagnosed or classified at an early stage.

The Gender Dysphoric person will always find there are more questions than answers. But this book goes a long way to clearing up so many of them.

Subject Matter.
After it's introduction pages, the book gets down to definitions of the terminology, and then considers the incidence of transgenderism and it's manifestations. There are known to be around 6,000 living post-op TGs in the UK, and many more considering themselves as, or potentially as, TG'd. It suggests that TG numbers are 1/1 00th to 1/l0th of the TV population. The book estimates that 1% of the male population cross dress - 30,000- and suggests a vaguer but growing figure for the reverse (women get away with so much fashion-wise it's so hard to tell). Many more play at cross-dressing from time to time, and it is certain that everyone at some time wonders what it is like to dress as the other sex.

The early pages of T&TP take us through how sexual identity is established, it aetiology, the stereotypes, and aspects of gender variation. It looks at religious and ethical questions, equality (or lack of it), the associated guilt of TG behaviours, adding some history and brief biographies.

Then we get deep into the practicalities - all aspects of passing, legal matters and the other documentation changes required (14 different subjects are listed). The practicalities of dealing with spouses and children are considered - the book pleads for the families of GD people to get counselling too, but notes they seldom do.

Funding a gender swap is considered in depth, and then we get to the heart of the book - the life test and the whole medical situation of changing gender is covered in precise terms and considerable depth through over twenty chapters. Everything from "the op", the long list of hormones and the plastic-surgery options are reviewed. Following this, the legal blocks to full acceptance are considered and the latest legislation (to the end of 2004) are reviewed in depth. Even after publication the actual effects of the new Gender Recognition laws are still unclear as some religious and 'ethical' groups (bigots?) seek to work their way round the legislation!

The book rounds up with a (now regretfully thirteen year old) survey of one hundred and two TS people, and a discourse on the problems of having Gender Dysphoric children, with a useful guide to parents.

If you believe you are a person with "full blown" Gender Dysphoria leading to a gender change, then this latest book is an absolute must for you. It might well "put the frighteners in" as we used to say in business, but you need to know the facts. You will get to understand in detail what you are letting yourself, your family and friends in for.

A similarly valuable book for crossdressers.
For TVs, as opposed to TG persons, we recommend another recent book - Transvestism & Cross Dressing -Current Views, edited by Jed Bland for the Beaumont Trust. (£13.50 inc. p&p from The Beaumont Trust, BM Charity, London WCIN 3XX ) and also can be purchased electronically through our web site shop with p&p added.

Reviewed by Danielle, BS RO South.

Copyright Beaumont Society 2005