You do not currently have permission to view the full text for this document. Please sign in to an account with an active subscription or contact support.
This book is a timely introduction of psychoanalytic ideas in the field of transgender clinical care and is perhaps especially welcome in the current political climate of affirmative vs conversion therapy which continues to be a contentious issue in mainstream UK politics. The publication of the book preceded the Cass Review into the Tavistock Gender Identity Development Service (GIDS), which led to the closure of the clinic, potentially resulting in many lawsuits by those who were transitioned due to the clinic's focus on affirmative care, where exploratory approaches were viewed erroneously as ‘conversion therapy’. This is still an issue in UK politics with hundreds of members of parliament supporting a ban on ‘conversion therapy’. It is also an issue that is salient to the British Psychoanalytic Council (BPC) and our position on how we can practice safely and respectfully with those who experience gender dysphoria, where exploratory work risks being labelled as transphobic and has led to loss of work and livelihoods in psychotherapy and academic fields.
Lemma states in her introduction that she has worked clinically with adolescent and adult transgender individuals for over io years in both publicly-funded services and privately, and since the time of writing the book a significant part of her practice has been occupied with work with transgender patients. Her experience and engagement with the issues involved is evident throughout. The book is well researched and scholarly, but remains concise, and is divided into five chapters which look at five specific areas.
The first chapter is on research, which helps contextualize the field by providing large sample studies, which provides a backdrop for the later chapters. This chapter raises some interesting questions such as the prevalence of Autistic Spectrum disorders in children and adolescents who present to gender identity services, also the role of puberty in the outcome of transitioning which results in higher num