Description: Magnus Hirschfeld, the prominent German-Jewish physician and sexologist introduced the term “transvestism” and the theory of an intermediate, “third sex,” in the early 1900s. In the more liberal 1920s Germany, Hirschfeld headed the Institut für Sexualwissenschaft (Institute for Sexology), which, among other things, maintained an immense archive devoted to sex and the human condition. It is this very library that one often sees set ablaze in newsreels of Nazi book burnings.
crossdresser (204) m.d. (138) my fair lady (7) magnus hirschfeld (1) richard j. alice novic (1) tg community (1) transgender law (1) rebecca benton (1)
by Rebecca Benton, Transgender Law Center, Board Chair (originally published in the TGSF Channel, 2006)
Magnus Hirschfeld, the prominent German-Jewish physician and sexologist introduced the term “transvestism” and the theory of an intermediate, “third sex,” in the early 1900s. In the more liberal 1920s Germany, Hirschfeld headed the Institut für Sexualwissenschaft (Institute for Sexology), which, among other things, maintained an immense archive devoted to sex and the human condition. It is this very library that one often sees set ablaze in newsreels of Nazi book burnings.
Holding the contemporary autobiography by Richard J. “Alice” Novic, M.D., in my hands, I paused to reflect on my enjoyment of the book and its presence in today’s America. The book itself is good. It’s a detailed and frank depiction of the life of someone who has successfully negotiated the treacherous and rocky shores of dealing with transgender issues. It is often funny, sometimes sad, occasionally touching, and Alice’s voice is something that resonates with vibrancy and makes you want to turn each page.