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- When I wake up in the morning,
I am always a little surprised.
This is my life and I am happy.
I used to wear baggy shirts, shirts that were concealing.
Now I wear things that flatter me, that go with my coloring.
I love clothes.
I am lonely, yet I feel wonderful because I'm a woman now.
Last year I was a man.
We all know what sex we are.
It is so obvious that it can be seen by the naked eye.
And we know it in the deepest part of ourselves.
We are male or female.
But perhaps it's not so obvious.
Imagine, if you can, what it is like to be a woman
imprisoned in the body of a man.
Or a man trapped in the body of a woman.
Not male, not female, not homosexual.
Recently the world was shocked
by the discovery of this third sex, the transsexual.
We will meet real transsexuals.
We will show for the first time how and why genetic men
become real women and genetic women become real men.
We will take you behind these headlines.
- I come from a very small town.
There's not much to do in small towns to begin with.
And when you had the problem that I had,
there's even less to do.
And no, I never had any friends.
Boys could be very painful
because they would say things that would hurt.
And then if you were caught hanging around girls,
that would say you were either a homosexual,
'cause they knew that I wasn't a playboy by no means.
And yes, my life existed me living
in an attic bedroom for many, many years.
But I always believe that tomorrow the sun would rise
and it might bring some kind of clue as to why
I was the way I was, why my development of breasts,
why I had such a soft voice.
There was so much feminine things in me
that it was this, you know,
at that point to me was disgusting
because it prevented me from getting job.
Our guide through this strange new world
is Dr. Leo wollman, md, phd, doctor, surgeon,
psychologist, minister, medical writer,
a man uniquely qualified
to help us understand this phenomenon,
one of the pioneers who has devoted his career
to exploring the frontiers of sexual identity.
- Modern medicine has brought all sorts of miracles.
Mankind has been released from suffering and early death.
In the 20th century, we have seen Jonas salk conquer polio.
We have seen Christian barnard insert a beating heart
into the chest of a dying man.
We had seen Michael debakey install mechanical devices
fabricated from plastics and transistors
placed directly into the bodies
of the hopelessly ill diseased organs.
And now I'm prepared to deal with the most exciting portion
of the medical world today, sexual identity.
What is a male?
What is a female?
Why are some people born with the mental
and emotional characteristics of one sex
and the outward physical characteristics
of the other sex?
What, who, and why are transsexuals?
In only the past few years we have been able
to take a human being who has had
this monstrous biological joke played on him or her,
who was born with the genitals if one sex,
but who possesses the heart, mind, and soul
of the opposite sex and reverse it.
Before this, anatomy was destiny.
We have made genetic men into real women.
We have made genetic women into real men.
We have taken a voyage into a world
which is more mysterious
and more profoundly disturbing than outer space.
A journey into inner space.
You have just met Ann zordi.
Ann zordi is a male transsexual,
and there must be at least 100,000 Ann zordis
in these United States.
Now, let me tell you what a male transsexual is.
A male transsexual is an individual
who is born a genetic male
with male sexual organs, penis, and testicles.
However, he has an obsessional desire
to get rid of his unwanted male organs
and become an anatomic female
to match his psychological sex.
In other words, the male transsexual
feels that he is emotionally a female
and is physically trapped in a male body.
His one and all consuming thought and desire
is to get rid of his hated penis and testicles
and somehow achieve womanhood by getting a vagina,
thus becoming and living completely as a woman.
This actually can be done by an operation,
which we call a sex change operation.
This sex change operation consists of the removal
of the penis and testicles
and the creation of a vagina and breasts.
The vagina is formed by the skin of the penis,
which has been cut and unrolled.
The breasts may be developed by injections
of liquid silicone or inserts of plastic gel,
which is like silicone in a plastic bag.
There are approximately 2,000 people
who have already had a sex change operation.
Let us go back to our Ann zordi,
who typifies the male transsexual.
Ann, as you have noticed,
in spite of her female breasts, still has a penis.
Ann is trying to save enough money for a final operation,
which is the removal of her penis.
And then she will become a complete woman.
Let me show you how important it is for the male transsexual
to have his penis and testicles removed.
This patient was happily married
with a wife and two children,
was a carpenter by trade,
and served a time in the United States Navy.
Since he couldn't afford the price of the operation,
he decided to try to do the operation himself.
As a result of this action,
he was taken to the emergency room in the hospital,
and the rest of his penis was removed surgically.
This was what he wanted in the first place.
What you have seen is a true incident
and actually happened to one of my patients.
It's too bad that self-mutilation of this kind
is so frequently resorted to in desperation.
- I remember when I was 11 years old,
my family going away to the beach.
They were going to go for a couple of days
and I couldn't go because I couldn't get in the water.
And I remember when they drove by,
I just got in front of the mirror
and I slammed the mirror so heavy,
the medicine cabinet, the mirror shatter.
And I just started hitting on my breasts
because here I was 11 years of age,
I don't know what's happening.
And I hit myself.
And at that time, my breasts were very, very,
they were sensitive to pain.
And which later on, I found out that when a young girl
is developing her breast, at that stage
she's very susceptible to pain.
And I hit myself so hard, just kept pounding on it,
that I fell against the floor.
And it's been that long that I had this,
that I was tormented with this problem,
until finally the doctors removed the disease
and left me with my life at last.
- Several transsexuals of both genders
are assembled here to discuss their mutual problems,
both pre and post-operative.
Some have come from cities hundreds of miles away
because they are unable to achieve their objectives
at medical centers in their home cities.
The reason for this is the lack of facilities
for training physicians in this particular area of medicine.
This is Steve, a male transsexual
who has not had the operation
and is working as an automobile mechanic
in order to accumulate sufficient money
for the sex change operation.
This is a female who wishes to become a male,
and is dressed as a male in order to maintain her job
as the manager of a supermarket.
We have here a 55 year old diabetic
who also has other illnesses,
and yet firmly believes that age makes no difference
as far as a sex change is concerned.
I see you've become a blonde.
You look very pretty.
But you weren't at our last group session, Debbie.
Is everything all right?
No, nothing is all right.
I'm so depressed, so miserable.
- We all feel that way sometimes.
Perhaps if you talked about it, we might be able to help.
There's no sense in talking about it.
Nothing can help.
- Come now, you know our rules.
Don't be a defeatist.
Don't be depressed.
Let's see if we can solve the problem
by discussing it, shall we?
I told you about Jim.
I met him at a party about three months ago.
We've been dating pretty regularly
and well, I love him very much.
Jim says he never knew he could care for anyone
as much as he loves me.
- Does he know about you?
Oh no, I'm afraid to tell him.
He'll leave me.
I can't take that chance.
- You have the body of a woman.
You feel like a woman, don't you?
- I always felt like a woman, even when I had a penis.
- Don't be a fool.
Don't tell him.
He'll never know the difference.
- There's always the chance that someone will tell him
and he'll leave you because you weren't honest.
- Dilemma, but you know, rosalind is right.
If Jim cares for you as much as you say he does,
he wouldn't leave you.
If he finds out from someone else,
he'll feel that he cannot trust you,
that you had not been honest with him.
Then he no doubt would leave you.
Then too, if you keep your secret,
you'll always be worried.
If he frowns at you or is angry and irritated,
you'll think he knows.
You'll be constantly on edge,
and this can only lead to unhappiness.
Please come to our next group session.
No matter what you decide to do,
we all want to know about it.
- I suppose you could say I'm very lucky.
My employer knows I'm a transsexual,
and it really doesn't matter to him
as long as I do my job properly.
- Generally however, I'm sorry to say,
employers will not hire transsexuals.
Now just the other day,
one of my patients came to the office.
She was very much upset and despondent.
It seems that her employer had somehow found out
that she was a transsexual, and fired her,
in spite of the fact that she was an excellent secretary,
was in his employ for two years,
and he was extremely pleased with her work.
So you see you are indeed fortunate, roslyn.
Your employer is obviously an understanding person.
- Well my sister, she knows about me.
She keeps on insisting that I see a psychiatrist.
But I told her I don't need a psychiatrist.
I'm a woman, and all I need is a woman's body.
- And now I would like you to meet Angela.
Angela.
Angela, pretty and extremely intelligent,
is a male transsexual.
Angela presents the breasts of a female
solely due to female hormones.
The hormone injections are very vital
to the individual's development.
And we customarily give the injections
intramuscularly twice a month.
The pelvis is male.
The penis is uncircumcised.
The testes are small.
The scrotum is normal in size.
The shoulders are quite broad.
Waist is small and thin.
However, the buttocks are male-like.
Thank you, Angela.
Frequently in place of natural sexual organs,
dildos are used to achieve sexual gratification.
A hollow plastic replica of the phallus
is a more realistic vaginal dilator.
Because of the visual association with a penis,
an erogenous sensation is experienced while dilating.
This slender white vibrator is frequently used
to tone up the skin's circulation.
It can also be nicely used to dilate the healing vagina.
This gun has compartment
in which warm, soapy fluid is stored.
This gun is used by the imaginative male transsexual
who has had the operation and wants to receive
the full impact of the hot fluid emission into the vagina.
The Harris obturator is a hard white plastic
bowling pin-shaped device which is useful
in keeping open the healing post-operative vagina.
The advantage of this instrument
is that one end is smaller knobbed than the other end.
And therefore there is selective choice
for any size vaginal opening.
As a matter of fact, very often these dildos
are used by the individuals for sexual pleasure only,
and not for any medical reason.
This is quite common.
- Up to this point I have a complete normal
little orgasm with a man.
And that's one of the subjects
that you hear among transsexual talks,
and the articles that I've read about transsexual,
they say that they can achieve
five, six, seven, or eight orgasms.
That's where I've drawn the complete conclusion
that most of them are really screwed up mentally
to begin with.
Because, yes, I might obtain one in a relationship.
And possibly, if the relationship is good, two.
But there's no such thing as achieving
eight, nine, no what, six the way
a lot of transsexual discuss in some books,
or stories, or television interviews that I've seen.
- This chart of the genito-urinary organs
in the male and human female
best illustrates the gross anatomy
of the male and female genitals.
The primitive beginnings of these organs
are influenced into human by sex organs.
The male anatomy is shown here.
The female anatomy here.
This is the male anatomy of the human.
This is the picture of the adult female anatomy.
The infant about to be born is influenced
by the sex hormones taken by the mother.
A female whose mother takes larger doses of hormones
to prevent a miscarriage will sometimes be born
with large clitoris resembling a penis.
This is the testicle in the sac.
This is the developing baby in the mother's womb.
If the glands we have just seen and discussed
do not develop normally, then the individual
may become either a homosexual, a lesbian,
a transvestite, or transsexual.
The homosexual is a male
who wants the sexual love of another male.
He does not want to have his penis removed by surgery.
The lesbian is a female who prefers
to have sexual relations with another female.
She does not feel the necessity for having a penis.
The transvestite is content to dress
in the clothing of the opposite sex,
and while doing so very often
will become sexually frustrated
and will resort to masturbation to satisfy his needs.
The transvestite can sometimes pass through three stages.
Homosexuality, transvestism, transsexualism.
The transsexual, however, has a desire since childhood
to be of the opposite sex,
as emotionally the individual is of the opposite sex.
If he is a male transsexual,
he wants to have the body of a woman.
- This thing about burning the bra and all of this nonsense.
And first of all, it took me a long time to wear one.
I'll be damned if I'm going to burn it now.
- If she is a female transsexual,
she wants the body of a man, a penis,
and demands place in society.
- I feel like I am what I was meant to be.
I can honestly say I'm myself.
It's as simple as that.
- What you are about to see is a true sex act
performed by a man and another man
who emotionally thinks and acts like a woman.
In this male transsexual's mind, he is a woman
having sexual intercourse with a man.
The penis and testicles of both are clearly shown.
We have not dwelled on the female transsexual.
That is the child born a female
who feels the emotions and needs of a male.
The proportion of female transsexuals
to the male transsexual is about one to five.
In other words, for every 100 male transsexuals,
there are about 20 female transsexuals,
the female transsexual who desires to become a male.
As a girl child, at the age of about five or six
she begins to feel that she is different
from other little girls.
She is eager to play with the little boys
and finds it difficult to accept the fact
that she is expected to act like a girl.
When she discovers that a boy child has a penis,
she is extremely envious
and begins to imagine herself with a penis too.
Now let me introduce you to a female transsexual
who is planning to have the sex change operation.
I would like to demonstrate the physical appearance
of a female transsexual.
Len.
Len is a female transsexual dressed in male clothing,
primarily because len has a male job.
The physical appearance, as we see it now,
is of a typical male, based on the fact
that len is dressed as a man.
Len's physical appearance is truly masculine.
You will note his hairstyle.
The surprising effect of a female breast
in a seemingly male individual
demonstrates effectively the paradox of transsexualism.
The contour of the breasts shown here
are typically that of a female adult.
The nipple and areola,
it conforms to the normal female breasts.
Here we have the pubic area.
The escutcheon, or hair pattern, is typically female.
Notice the position of the hands.
The large size legs and thighs len has
is caused by excessive walking on his job.
As we note on len's back, the width of the shoulders
are probably due to the effect of physical exercise,
such as lifting heavy objects
in the course of his employment.
The hairline on the neck, as would be expected,
is that of a male for appearance sake.
The hair on len's lower body,
which is generally found on males,
was the result of male hormones.
The lower torso is masculine.
The upper torso is feminine.
Besides the obvious physical truths,
there are tragic consequences
in the family lives of transsexuals, as in len's case.
- My mother, and you know how much I love my mother,
was very suspicious of me.
One day she confronted me.
And I told her the truth.
I was a man.
I was not her daughter.
I was her son.
Well, she really carried on.
I thought she was going to go out of her mind.
Said that this couldn't happen in her family
and not to one of her children.
She told me not tell my father.
She said he'd probably kill me if he know.
- What was her attitude after that?
She never spoke about the incident again.
When I told her I was leaving the house for good,
she just kissed me and left the room.
- Did she ever contact you?
- I haven't seen her since I left home.
- There are so few people who can comprehend these things.
And most important, it's those people we love most
that seem to fail to understand.
- I have an opinion that a lot of people
who want to undergo this surgery are really,
and still remain emotionally homosexual
just by the conversations they have.
In fact, at the doctor's office,
the doctor thought that,
he has a certain day set out for them
so that the rest of the patients
don't come in there and see,
have to hear this kind of talk that goes amongst them.
And he even arranged it that I will come
on the days when the regular people would come in.
And he said, "I don't think you belong
"in that crowd to begin with."
And this doctor does treat a lot of them.
But I never thought of myself in that light,
so how can I be something
I never believed in it in the first place?
And up to this point, I'm still to some degree,
you could say like Anita Bryant.
And she's against a lot of that.
And I believe that individuals should live their life
as best they want, or can,
even if it means accepting things like that.
But for me personally, I would never.
In fact, my dream in life is one day to adopt children.
And sometimes the thought of maybe one
being a homosexual, it would frighten me
to the point that I would think
I'll have second thoughts about adopting kids.
And a lot of people who are transsexual...
I've told people that I am a transsexual.
And the first thing they say,
"you mean you were once a man?"
And that's very strange.
It's so hard for me to get that kind of question back
because I've never saw myself in that light.
In fact, that was the masquerade at one time in my life,
when I was trying to be a man for family reasons.
Because other than that, if not,
people would think of me as a homosexual.
- Generally at about the age of five,
the little boy who cannot play or respond
as a boy child should realizes he is different.
But of course at that age, he does not know what is wrong.
As he grows older and his sex problems increase,
he becomes aware that what
he really wants to be is a female.
He feels that emotionally.
He is a girl with the desires and traits of a girl.
As he reaches his teen years,
he is confronted with greater problems.
As a boy, he must sit with the boys,
use the boys lavatory.
He finds this devastating, for to himself he is a girl,
just like the girl in the front seat
who would teases the boys, wears makeup,
revealing dresses, and is treated gently.
For she is one of the so-called weaker sex.
This is what she yearns for.
How does she become the girl in the front seat?
As his teenage years draw to a close,
the boy usually finds he can no longer act
as the male he is supposed to be.
- I came from a very puerto rican family,
very low in education.
And me, myself, I was in about the seventh or eighth grade.
No, seventh grade, 'cause I never made it
past the seventh grade.
I only went to two weeks.
And well, by that time I had a very developed breast
that came on naturally when I was 11 years of age.
And a very ignorant doctor, they were examining us.
And this doctor was so, he just told the nurse,
"we don't want the girls till tomorrow.“
and from then on I just couldn't face those, you know,
those kids making fun of me.
All I knew that everybody,
I thought to myself that everybody knew about me.
And so that was the last I was to,
you know, to attend school.
- Some transsexuals lived their entire lives as men.
They are ineffective sexually, socially,
and are usually failures in all of their undertakings
because they are so very insecure.
- To some degree I have put a lot of doubts in people
about the subject itself.
Because at some of them do tend
to have a low opinion about transsexualism.
And maybe the fact is because
I can be myself because I am myself.
I don't have to pretend.
I don't have to fake anything.
There was no way I would've wanted to live before.
- You may ask, what makes someone a transsexual?
What factors brought about the strong obsession
to change gender for a male to female.
- A psychiatrist actually, when I showed him
my breast development, which I had at the age of 11,
this psychiatrist tells me, "well, I have the same thing.
“You know, it's a very common thing."
And here he opens his shirt
and reveals his breast and all that was behind.
There was blubber because the guy weighed over 300 pounds.
And so I didn't even believe when I went in there,
because the first thing he said was,
"by the time we get through,
"you will be going with broads from corner to corner."
And I knew that that was just like removing the soul
from from a human being.
What was going to be left of me?
There were times when I consider suicide
because the operation in itself
was going to be so hard to accomplish,
you know, require a lot of money.
And I've always been the type of person
that I used to go up to the doctors.
And I practically waited for them to leave their offices
and say, "look, can you help me?
"I don't have no money.
"I'm not well-educated enough to have a,
"you know, financial independent.
"And unless I find this, this is going to be my life."
And I remember telling one doctor, you know,
"aren't you supposed to help human being,
"or is money more important than the person's life?"
And that doctor just had me thrown right out of the office.
"How did you get here to begin with?
"I don't even have office hours."
- First and most important, a doctor has to make certain
that the patient is truly a transsexual,
and his female desires and emotions are not temporary.
If this is so, the doctor prepares the patient
for his future life as a woman.
A measure of the complicated nature of the operation
can be gauged by the number of surgical specialists
employed in the operation.
They number four, in addition to the normal complement
of medical personnel needed for an operation,
including an anesthetist.
They are a general surgeon, a gynecological surgeon,
a urological surgeon, and a plastic surgeon.
By dissection, the skin covering the penis
is removed from the body of the penis,
leaving one small pedicle intact.
Incisions are then made in the two parts
of the scrotal sac, both right and left,
and the testes are removed and discarded.
Due to the years of hormone treatment,
the prostate gland has atrophied.
If the patient has been circumcised
or doesn't have enough skin,
part of the scrotal skin is used to form part of the sheath.
Otherwise the skin of the scrotum is used
to form the labia, or lips of the vulva, or vaginal opening.
Because this tissue has a hair-bearing surface,
it is well suited to this purpose.
The urological surgeon then fits the sheath
into this hollow, taking care not to kink the urethra,
a condition that can later cause strictures.
This instrument is strapped in place
to give the wall a chance to stay apart.
Otherwise, the vagina becomes a closed
rather than an open space.
Post-operative hospitalization is minimally eight days.
Though it takes several weeks to several months
for the hundreds of sutures to heal.
Depending on the particular condition of the patient,
the operation can take as long as four hours.
First, a circular incision is made
around the base of the penis.
The incision is then extended in one continuous line
along the middle of the penis.
The skin is then inverted to form a sheath,
much as a sock is turned inside out.
It is this inverted penile skin which forms the vagina.
This space between the now removed penis and the anus
is hollowed out by the urological surgeon
to accommodate the vaginal scabbard.
The implantation of the inverted penile skin
requires the special skills of all four surgeons
to keep the new vagina adherent to the underlying tissues.
It takes several hundred sutures or stitches
to anchor this newly formed organ.
A mold is now inserted into the vagina,
fashioned of plastic and flattened at the top
so the pressure on the floor of the bladder is avoided.
- My first date and lover.
This was after the surgery.
I met a very nice, good looking...
I've always been very choosy
and this was a very good looking German man.
And we dated each other a couple of times.
Then I decided to try out, you know,
this was the first time I was to go to bed
with the operation, with anyone.
And so the time came and I went to bed with a young man.
And maybe because he was the first,
or maybe the surgery was still a fresh surgery,
I bleed, I started bleeding.
And so I didn't even have to tell him why
because the first thing he said was,
"god, you know, this is the first time in my 28 years
"that I've been with a virgin."
And then from then on I was a little frightened
because I like the guy as a person,
but I didn't want him for something to just have around
all the time, just while it lasted for a little while.
Then his idea of a girl bleeding, he was very German.
That means that that's the kind he would want to marry,
because she hasn't been around with no other men.
And so it was kind of cute that he left thinking
and he kept calling me and he really said,
"look, I really want to get serious
"because I really think you are a nice girl.
"I already know."
And then I saw him on an on and off
and up to this point he never knows.
As far as he knows, he's just walking around
with a happy smile knowing that he once did have a virgin.
- After the operation, there is a period
of a few months of convalescence.
This is a must so that the new vagina can heal properly.
Let me tell you about an incident
that occurred to a young male transsexual
who went to Casablanca for the sex change operation.
Ronald, who is now rhoda, stayed in Casablanca
for about six weeks so that she could be near the doctor
who operated, in case of any trouble.
However, rhoda was extremely impatient
to try out her new vagina.
So on her way to the airport
to board a plane for the United States,
rhoda asked her taxi driver
to take her to a small hotel near the airport.
When the driver carried her valise to the room,
rhoda seduced him.
- Thanks, lady.
Oh!
- As a result of her sex impatience,
when rhoda called the hospital she was told to return.
She did, and spent the next two weeks
recovering from another operation
to repair the damage that had been done to her new vagina.
Of course, this is just an isolated instance.
Most patients are more careful.
- Oh, the operation in itself
was one of the most painful procedures
I will ever have to undergo.
And well, at that time it was a very painful procedure
to the point that I wish I would have die
than to go through the pain that I was in.
But today, now that I see all the success
and possibly a good future to look forward to,
I'd undergo the operation again and again.
- Debbie, will you come in, please?
This is Debbie harten.
How are you?
- Fine, thank you.
- How old are you Debbie?
I'm 38 years old, doctor.
- Tell me about your childhood.
- Well, it was a lonely childhood.
I refused to play with the boys.
I wanted to be with the girls.
When I was about six years old,
I knew I was different from other little boys.
And when I was eight years old,
I started to dress as a girl.
- What about your family?
Did they know about your problem?
- Well, my parents knew that something was wrong,
but did not know what it was.
When they found out I was a transsexual,
they was shocked and simply could not believe it.
- Did they accept you or reject you?
- Both my parents, after the initial shock wore off,
were understanding and sympathetic.
As a matter of fact, I lived with them at this time.
However, my brother and sister
did not speak to me for a number of years.
But for the past year or so,
they seem to be anxious to be friends again.
- As you grew older, did you ever think
you might be a homosexual?
- Yes, I did.
And when I grew older, I engaged in homosexual practices,
but I found I didn't like it
because my partner regarded me as a male.
Would you like to be a picture of me
when I was in the Navy, doctor?
- By the way I watched you on "the David susskind show."
What you had to say was extremely interesting.
Debbie, why don't you tell me about your life in the Navy,
and also tell me what effect it had upon you.
- I thought that being in the Navy would get me to Denmark,
where I could have a sex change operation.
But I didn't leave the United States,
and I had to live on the base with the other men.
This was very distasteful to me.
The only way I could get off the base was to get married.
I asked a girl I knew in my hometown to marry me.
She agreed.
We lived off the base while I was in service.
And we had a child, a daughter.
- Tell me about your wife.
- My wife knew my problem before our daughter was born.
She accepted the fact that I felt
a terrific need to dress as a woman.
After I was discharged from the Navy, I tried to get work.
I went from one job to another.
I couldn't adjust to any male job.
I felt I couldn't go on living.
Suicide was the only way out.
As you know, that's how I came to see you.
- Debbie came to my office every two weeks.
I gave her injections of female hormones
and oral medication.
This produced the appearance of increased breast tissue.
How did you feel when you looked in the mirror
and saw that your breasts were beginning to look feminine?
- It made me more anxious to get
the sex change operation and to get rid of my penis.
And now I'm trying to arrange a uterus and ovary transplant
so that I can bear children.
- But you know, this hasn't proven too successful
and could be extremely dangerous.
- I am aware of this.
- When did you have the sex change operation?
I had it done about 11 months ago.
When did you have sex with a man?
- About six weeks after the operation.
It was quite painful.
But after the sexual act was over, I felt wonderful.
I felt that finally I was a true female.
- How old is your daughter?
And does she know that her father is now a woman?
- My daughter is 16 years old.
She is a beautiful young lady, a good student,
and thank god, a compassionate human being.
She knows about my operation and that I am now a female.
She is intelligent enough to understand me
and to love me as a child loves a parent.
- What do you look forward to in your future life?
- I'd like to fall in love, get married, and have children.
Oh, I just want to be a woman.
- Debbie, will you come into the examining room, please?
- Yes, doctor.
Will you come in, Debbie?
Debbie's body is that of a female.
The breasts, as you see,
are quite ample and very feminine-like.
These are not only the results of the hormone injection,
but inserts as well of silastic gel,
which gives the substance of the breast
a very firm, hard, and feminine look.
Fortunately for Debbie,
as a male she had a very flat abdomen
and hasn't gained any weight,
which makes her form quite feminine-like.
The pubic triangle, the female escutcheon,
is duplicated here.
But most of the effect is,
well it's the result of shaving on this area.
Otherwise we might've seen the additional growth of hair
as is found in a normal male.
We might note that the tapering fingers
are those of a female.
Fortunately Debbie is lucky in this respect.
Because the entire picture,
the legs, ankles, the thighs, the flat abdomen,
the protuberant female breast,
the entire contours are that of a typical female.
And she thus represents after the operation
as much femininity as one might expect in a female.
I would like to now show the dilatation of the vagina.
The vagina is created by the surgeon
in the sex change operation.
Now, as I've already told you,
the vagina is made from the skin of the penis.
And in every operated case, it is necessary
to dilate the vagina so that the vagina space remains open.
In some cases, it is necessary
to increase the depth of the vagina by dilating frequently,
as Debbie is now doing.
The hormone injections are very vital
to the individual's development.
The hormone effects on the breasts,
on the hair of the body, and depressing the sex drive
are the effects that we would normally expect.
Another thing is for the skin to become very smooth,
soft, and feminine-like.
We customarily give the injections
in the buttocks, intramuscularly.
These injections are given twice a month,
approximately every two weeks.
You can go inside now.
I call this the slap technique.
I inject the female hormones
by applying pressure at the side of the hand.
The entrance of the needle through the skin of the buttock
is hardly felt because the patient
is more aware of slap than the injection.
Turn over.
Vagina was created from the skin of her penis.
Let me show you the closeup anatomy
of the change from to female sex.
This is the opening of the canal leading to the bladder,
through which the urine passes.
The metal probe indicates the direction of the opening.
This part of the vagina that I am touching
is a bulge caused by the base of the penis.
This was left for erotic sensations.
The fourchette is still healing
where the two lips of the vagina meet.
Healing in this area sometimes take several weeks.
However, the rate of healing
is different in different individuals.
One disappointing feature is the absence
of lubricating fluid, because the glands
that produce this fluid cannot be transplanted.
The vagina is best illustrated by inserting my gloved hand
and lubricated finger into it.
The skin of this newly created vagina
was formerly the skin covering the penis.
This accounts for the retention of the sensation
of eroticism in the area it touches.
In spite of this female organ just described,
note the male hairiness of the thighs and perineum.
The depth of the vagina is adequate to accommodate
an average size penis during sexual intercourse.
The direction of the vagina
fits the direction of the erect penis.
That's it, thank you.
Debbie had the sex conversion operation
approximately 11 months ago.
During the operation, the testes were removed
following which the penis was removed
and the skin of the penis was used
to create a vagina by plastic surgery.
As a result of this Debbie, like any woman,
can now have sexual intercourse.
One afternoon I received a phone call
from a young man whom we will call Steve.
Steve said that it was imperative
that he see me immediately.
He had heard about me, had read some of my articles,
and thought possibly I could help him.
Steve sounded so desperate, so despondent,
that I told him to come right over.
The young man that came to my office
within the hour was indeed frantic.
His story was like so many others
I had heard throughout the years.
He said that from the time he was five years old,
he knew he was different from other little boys.
He spent his youth unhappy and alone,
unaware of what his true problem was.
It was not until he was a young man
that he learned about transsexualism
and realized and admitted to himself
that he was a transsexual.
No one knew about his problems.
He lived in misery and frustration.
He knew he needed help, but could not bring himself
to confide in anyone, not even a physician.
Now he said he wanted my advice.
It seemed that a number of months ago,
Steve spent the weekend at a friend's home.
During the night, he heard noises and went to investigate.
There was Tom and his wife, Sandy making love.
Steve knew that he should not invade their privacy
by watching, but he couldn't move.
He felt rooted to the spot.
Finally, he left.
That night, when Steve fell asleep,
he dreamed that he was making love to blanche,
a girl he had met at a concert some time ago.
The dream haunted him.
Steve said that making love to blanche
had seemed so natural.
Perhaps getting married might somehow
help him overcome his problem.
Blanche was intelligent, seemed sympathetic.
And so Steve had been courting her.
Their marriage was to take place within the month.
Steve had come to me because he had had the need
to talk to someone who understood his dilemma.
Was he doing the right thing by marrying blanche?
I could not give Steve any advice
because he hadn't communicated enough information to me
so that I could help him.
I did, however, suggest that he think very carefully
about his forthcoming marriage,
and that he contact me again.
He said he would.
A few weeks later, a young girl came to see me.
It was blanche.
She had found my name and address
on a pad near Steve's phone.
She thought possibly I could explain what had happened.
Blanche said that she and Steve were planning to be married.
One evening in Steve's house
they were discussing their wedding arrangements.
Steve seemed very quiet and depressed.
Blanche attributed this to the fact
that he was the usual nervous bridegroom.
Suddenly he got up and walked into the next room.
Blanche thought that she had said something
to disturb Steve.
She would find out.
Blanche wanted to know if I had any idea
why Steve had taken his life.
I felt that under the circumstances,
I could not tell her the truth.
Perhaps I did not know the truth.
Blanche left my office bewildered and miserable.
Less painful than surgery, but more terrible
is the only alternative
many transsexuals see for themselves.
The only way out of this living nightmare.
It was a chance occurrence of a dream
that led Steve to think
that he could sort out his life by marriage,
a marriage that would condemn him to an even deeper lie,
a deeper hell, to a point beyond endurance, suicide.
Perhaps if Steve had come to me sooner,
I could have helped him.
Transsexuals are dentists, attorneys, college professors,
engineers, chemists, writers, theatrical producers.
Some have become models, movie stars.
And then there are others who are truck drivers, stevedores,
waiters, waitresses, electrologists, and beauticians.
So you can see that the occupations and professions
of the transsexual population are extremely varied.
- It was kind of hard to get a job.
Even when I used to dress as a male.
Or live, I didn't say live,
exist and pretended to be a male.
I saw a photo of myself when I was 14 years of age,
and for some reason,
that person was something that...
I couldn't even stare at the picture straight
because it involves so much pain and misery.
It wasn't easy for, number one,
I am not well-educated in the sense that,
because of my problem with my breasts,
I didn't finish school.
- It becomes necessary for many transsexuals
to leave this country
in order to have the operation performed.
However, during the last few years, more and more doctors
are becoming interested in the problem.
And consequently, there are more operations
being performed in the United States.
Hopefully this will continue and more medical centers
will perform the sex conversion operation.
- I did not know that there was any such thing
as a transsexual or a surgery to adjust whatever,
the mind to the rest of the body, and so forth.
And I thought that it was a very...
I knew that I was not a homosexual.
I felt that.
I didn't hate the idea of a homosexual 'cause I wasn't it.
But at that time, that's what people
would have thought of me.
They knew that what I felt inside, and I used to...
I went to several doctors to see
if they could give me answers.
They were very ignorant where this subject was concerned.
One of them didn't even bother talking to me.
He sent me to a stronger psychiatrist.
He thought I was that badly disturbed.
And I decided to take my life
because I say, I'm not a homosexual.
| can never live as a man.
Certain things are expected of a male.
When you're 18, you're supposed to start dating.
Marriage soon after that.
And how could I have done something like that?
It was beyond anything I could ever have done.
And so I said that I was going to end my life
at the age of 18.
And I clearly remember getting pills and everything.
I was totally prepared to commit suicide.
And then one day, the same day the matter of fact
that this incident was ought to take place,
Christine jorgensen came over "the Mike Douglas show."
And he introduced her as a man who had undergone a surgery.
And then she walks on stage.
But still, I was still so naive and ignorant
to such a thing as a sex change that I said to myself,
"oh, she must have just had slight alterations.“
and then when they show a picture of Christine jorgensen
in the service, you know, she looked more like a man
than I could ever have been.
So then that was the first hint
that I was what I believed all along,
that I was not something
that people would think of as a homosexual,
but that I was what I felt, a woman all along.
In fact, one of the nicest stories
that I will always relate to my life
is the story of the ugly duckling.
For the simple reason that one night
he went to bed miserable.
The next day, he became a beautiful swan.
And that's exactly,
when I went to buy the Christine jorgensen book.
It was all dusty, they give it to me for half price
'cause nobody was interested in that subject.
And that was to be my first contact
with the medical profession,
that there was such a thing as being what I was
by simply alternating, you know, certain areas.
And when I started reading her biography,
my life actually started,
it was like putting pieces of puzzles
with the numbers on the puzzle
and the number on the plate, or on the sheet
where the puzzle would go.
And from then on life was again,
I started living again.
I merely existed.
And then like, I knew I had something to reach for.
And along the line, I never thought of suicide after that.
- One are the problems that beset the transsexual
is the difficulty in finding a church
that will condone this type of marriage.
However, in scattered areas throughout our country,
are ministers who understand the situation
and are compassionate enough
to perform the wedding ceremony.
One minister with whom I discussed marriage
involving a transsexual said that he did not think
that the physical state of a person
had anything to do with taking the marriage vows.
He further stated that he had united
many impotent men and frigid women,
and the transsexual marriages
were as binding as any other marriages.
Of course, this minister
is an unusually enlightened and intelligent man.
- My family are very heavy pentecostal christians.
And they're the type of people that they think
that if you do give your life to the lord Christ,
that, you know, you'll be safe from anything.
Even if you have a leg missing,
you place enough faith, you'll grow a new leg.
And they always believe that if I give myself to the lord
that all of this would change.
And they had my mind confused
where religion was concerned.
It was a time when I didn't think of religion.
- Transsexuals are prejudiced against
more than any other minority group.
Family life, social life, and employment.
- To some degree, I guess they've accepted the fact
that I am very successful as a woman.
Because their explanations of why I am so successful
and I appear very attractive compared to others
is that that's the devil's way of getting other people
to commit the same mistake that I did
and condemn themselves to hell.
The attitude that my family bred in me about, you know,
if you ever undergo such a procedure
that you're condemned to hell for all eternity.
And he made it quite clear that, you know,
I'm still god's creation,
regardless of whatever I did decide to choose.
And if I was going to be happier for it,
why would the lord want me miserable if I could be happy?
- Most of society has not yet been educated sufficiently
so that they can understand and sympathize
with the problems of the transsexual.
Most unfortunately, and I repeat, most unfortunately
there are some transsexuals who, miserable and despondent
because they cannot have the sex conversion operation
due to lack of understanding and money,
cannot cope with the situation
and resort to drastic measures.
We look forward to the time when sex labels
will no longer exist and there will be only people.
- I do tell people about myself.
They ask why I decided to do this.
And I simply tell it wasn't a matter of a decision.
It was really a matter of life and death.
And if one is fortunate enough
to trade in an unhappy existence and a miserable one
for a chance at a brand new life
and to be themselves for the first time in their life,
why not go ahead with it?
We seen have the transsexual's willingness
to undergo trial by knife.
We have witnessed the terrible anguish of their lives
before this transformation.
We have followed them on their remarkable journey
from despair and seen how this radical reversal
of biological destiny can not only offer
the transsexual hope, but even happiness.