Wondrous Transformations: A Maverick Physician, the Science of Hormones, and the Birth of the Transgender Revolution

Historian Li debuts with a comprehensive biography of endocrinologist and transgender medicine pioneer Harry Benjamin (1885–1986). Born to a well-off Jewish family in Berlin, Benjamin studied medicine at the University of Tübingen and became involved in the controversial field of endocrinology, which at the time was rife with quackery and mistaken theories about hormones’ ability to increase vitality and longevity. He collaborated with Eugen Steinach, who developed a (later discredited) rejuvenation operation that increased patients’ levels of sexual hormones and supposedly slowed down the aging process, but who also made significant discoveries regarding the link between sex hormones and physical traits. Benjamin expanded on this legitimate and proven use of hormones, entering the field of sexual science and beginning to work with transgender patients. Relocating to America in the 1930s, he developed hormonal treatments, authored the landmark 1966 study “The Transsexual Phenomenon” (the first major study to define transhood in clinical terms and argue for compassionate treatment), and advocated for the rights of his patients, including transgender activist and entertainer Christine Jorgensen. Li’s accessible account narrates many intriguing episodes and conjunctures in the rise of transgender medicine, noting, for example, that Benjamin’s burgeoning commitment to sexual education and liberation was bolstered by the avant-garde theater of 1910s Berlin. The result is a smart and highly readable contribution to transgender studies. (Sept.)