Why We Wrote The Book Trans-X-U-All

by Tracie O'Keefe and Katrina Fox

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Trans-X-U-All by Tracie O'Keefe and Katrina Fox

Transsex-U-All: The Naked Difference

by Tracie O'Keefe & Katrina Fox
Published by Extraordinary Peoples Press, March 1997 I.S.B.N. 978-0952948209

Two years ago when I and my partner, Katrina Fox, decided to write the book it was because we felt that a great number of transsexuals were being misinformed. Having been a life long transsexual myself and being a psychotherapist, clinical hypnotherapist and counsellor I knew that the universal standards of care were often of a very uneven standard. During our research for the book we met many truly humane, dedicated and well informed doctors, therapists, psychiatrists, psychologists, plastic surgeons, social workers and lawyers. Along with these people we also met some badly informed, ignorant, prejudicial so­ called professionals who had a "take the money and run" mentality.

There is no such thing as a "sex-change" in the human equation and transsexuals themselves believe that they do not change their sex but simply bring their bodies cosmetically in line with their real identity. Making that decision is easier if they are well informed about all the aspects of the transformation they are going to undertake. In the book we provide a huge amount of information and considerations that can help guide any transsexual, their doctor, friends and family along that chosen course and beyond.

I never regretted one moment of the decision I made thirty years ago to undergo my life change. For me it has been wonderful to live as I am. I have been married to two different men and now live with my beautiful lesbian lover and co-author in London's colourful Soho. My Harley Street practice takes up much of my time nowadays, helping many transsexuals make the right decision for themselves. I never diagnose anyone, as I believe that transsexualism is a self diagnosing condition and the therapist's job is to help that person be sure. More than seventy percent of the people who apply for gender reassignment change their minds at some stage of the transformation. Making such a decision that affects the rest of your life in such a fundamental way is best done with lots of help. Those who change their mind also may need help and guidance to choose the new route they may wish to take.

In the book we guide the interested parties through the diagnosing, treatment, medical, psychological, social, sociological and legal issues that they will come up against. We talk about the kind of operations available and the procedures that are involved. We include stories from different transsexuals who have undergone or are undergoing treatment and from their families and friends too. There are also photographs of transmen and transwomen who walk amongst society as their destination sex unnoticed and undetected as doctors, lawyers, accountants, politicians and the man and woman next door.

We call for the change in the law in many countries to bring the rights of those who are transsexual in line with the rest of humanity. Far from just getting on our soap box, we give the practical reasons why society must now reconsider how and why it categorises minority sexes, genders and sexualities. Finally we take the leap of faith that identity may be inextricably intertwined with genetic make-up by presenting some of the latest findings in genetics. We hope you find it an "everything you needed to know about transsexualism" experience. Knowledge, we think, is empowering: Read and Enjoy!

Polare is published in Australia by The Gender Centre Inc. which is funded by the Department of Community Services under the S.A.A.P. Program and supported by the N.S.W. Health Department through the AIDS and Infectious Diseases Branch. Polare provides a forum for discussion and debate on gender issues. Advertisers are advised that all advertising is their responsibility under the Trade Practices Act. Unsolicited contributions are welcome, though no guarantee is made by the Editor that they will be published, nor any discussion entered into. The editor reserves the right to edit such contributions without notification. Any submission which appears in Polare may be published on our internet site. Opinions expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect those of the Editor, The Gender Centre Inc.I, the Department of Community Services or the N.S.W. Department of Health.