Gender Dysphoria

1. Front Matter

   Pages i-xviii

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2. Introduction

   • Betty W. Steiner, Ray Blanchard, Kenneth J. Zucker

   Pages 1-10

3. The Origin of Gender Identity

   • John Hoenig

   Pages 11-32

4. Etiology of Transsexualism

   • John Hoenig

   Pages 33-73

5. Cross-Gender-Identified Children

   • Kenneth J. Zucker

   Pages 75-174

6. Gender Disorders in Childhood

   • Susan J. Bradley

   Pages 175-188

7. The Spectrum of Gender Identity Disturbances

   • Allan Beitel

   Pages 189-206

8. The Meanings of Cross-Dressing

   • Ron Langevin

   Pages 207-225

9. Research Methods for the Typological Study of Gender Disorders in Males

   • Ray Blanchard

   Pages 227-257

10. Cross-Gender Identity in a Broader Context

    • Kurt Freund

    Pages 259-324

11. The Management of Patients with Gender Disorders

    • Betty W. Steiner

    Pages 325-350

12. Transsexuals, Transvestites, and their Partners

    • Betty W. Steiner

    Pages 351-364

13. Gender Dysphoria and Gender Reorientation

    • Ray Blanchard

    Pages 365-392

14. Medical-Legal Issues

    • Stephen J. Hucker

    Pages 393-410

15. Transsexualism in the Arts

    • John Hoenig

    Pages 411-416

16. A Personal Perspective

    • Betty W. Steiner

    Pages 417-421

17. Back Matter

    Pages 423-430

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In the decade-and-a-half since I coedited Transsexualism and Sex Reassignment (Green & Money, 1969), remarkable changes have occurred with Harry Ben­ jamin's "transsexual phenomenon" (1966). Formerly, when writing about this condition in scientific journals, it was necessary to define the term transsex­ ualism. Now the lay public recognizes it. Even the American Psychiatric Asso­ ciation acknowledges it as a "disorder," with its inclusion in the Third Edition of its Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (1980). Although this "elevation" to the status of mental illness may seem a Pyrrhic victory, it is a recognition of the legitimacy of transsexual ism as a source of human suffering. The controversy that surrounded the decisions in the early patient cases to perform sex-change surgery has largely dissipated. The cries of "collusion with delusion," principally from psychoanalysts, have quieted. The dire predictions of psychosis and/or suicide following surgery as the "last psychic defenses are cut away" have almost never been realized. By contrast, many postoperative patients consider the surgery to have been life-saving. Medical centers worldwide have incorporated programs for evaluating and treating persons requesting sex reas­ signment. Elaborate guidelines for patient management have been developed by an international organization of health care professionals (Harry Benjamin Inter­ national Gender Dysphoria Association, 1981). Harry Benjamin's child has come of age.

• Syndrom
• age
• child
• diagnosis
• epidemiology
• gender
• health
• health care
• identity
• organizations
• psychosis
• sex
• sexuality
• suicide
• syndromes
• sexual behaviour

• Clarke Institute of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada

  Betty W. Steiner