THE HIDDEN CASE OF EWAN FORBES

An exploration of the roots of the trans civil rights movement via the story of one trans man’s quest to formalize his identity as male.

In the mid-1990s, the British High Court of Justice rejected arguments set forth by Playdon, emeritus professor of medical humanities at the University of London, and a group of activist lawyers that trans people had the right to correct their birth certificates. The decision came at a time when the author had begun exploring the legally suppressed case of Ewan Forbes, a trans man who petitioned to change his gender identifiers in 1952. Designated female at birth, Forbes later identified as male and began testosterone treatment as a teenager. Forbes’ mother supported him; his father, however, did not and forced Forbes “to comply with the social observances he believed fitting to the family name,” including participation in debutante activities. Forbes went to medical school and eventually started a successful medical practice. In midlife, he fell in love, changed his pronouns through doctor letters, and married. Playdon argues that high-profile trans cases elsewhere—e.g., that of Christine Jorgensen in the U.S.—worked against Forbes by creating the transphobia that would later make it excruciatingly difficult for him to prove he was the next in line to the family baronetcy in 1966. Part of what makes this book so admirable is Playdon’s own dedication to the project. Forbes left no personal documents behind, forcing the author to rely on archives, legal decisions, medical literature, media coverage, and the recollections of those who knew Forbes best. It’s clear that there was significant literary detective work involved. As it highlights an individual story that proved pivotal in the fight for contemporary trans rights, Playdon’s biography also adds to the growing body of literature about trans history.

A thoughtful and well-researched historical excavation of an important chapter in the fight for trans rights.