The Hidden Case of Ewan Forbes And the Unwritten History of the Trans Experience

by Playdon, Zoë

• ISBN13: 9781982139469
• ISBN10: 1982139463
• eBook ISBN(s): 9781982139483
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2021-11-02
• Publisher: Scribner
• More Book Details

Summary

The life story of an aristocratic Scottish trans man and the secret 1968 legal case that provides “a fascinating look into the changing landscape of trans rights” (Library Journal) throughout history.

Ewan Forbes was born to a wealthy, landowning family, holders of a baronetcy, in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, in 1912. Assigned female at birth, his true identity was nevertheless clear even in childhood—and so, with the support of his mother, he was taken to European specialists and eventually treated with early preparations of synthetic testosterone. Raised as a boy at home but socially obliged to present himself as a girl in public until his official coming out to the Queen, Ewan grew up, became a doctor, and got married. (This required him to correct the sex on his birth certificate, which was possible at that time without much fuss.) For decades, he lived a quiet life as a husband, doctor, and a pillar of the local community.

But in 1965, Ewan’s older brother died unexpectedly—leaving Ewan, the next oldest man in the family, to inherit the baronetcy. When his cousin John—spurred on by Ewan’s sister—contested the inheritance he was forced to defend his male status in Scotland’s supreme civil court, where he prevailed.

This hugely important case would have changed the lives of trans people across the world—had it not been hidden. The hearing was conducted privately, the media were gagged, and those involved were sworn to secrecy. The case remained unknown until 1996 and is at last described here, along with the life of Ewan Forbes, for the first time. Enlightening and galvanizing, The Hidden Case of Ewan Forbes is a “remarkable…vital historical reference” (Booklist) for transgender history and the ongoing struggle for trans rights.

Author Biography

Zoë Playdon is the Emeritus Professor of Medical Humanities at the University of London and a Council member of the Association for Medical Humanities. She holds five degrees, including two doctorates. Zoë is a former co-chair of the Gay and Lesbian Association of Doctors and Dentists [GLADD] and co-founded the Parliamentary Forum on Gender Identity in 1994. She has thirty years’ experience of front-line work in LGBTI human rights, including supporting and advising on UK and European legal cases.