Having read transgendered literature in various forms for some 30 years I have been struck by the consistency of nearly all the stories. Not all the stories are as articulate as the one contained in this book. That the book has been published, putting it in the public arena gives me the opportunity to publicly comment on it.

What does make this story a little different is that the writer states that he did not declare that he wanted to be a woman until he was in his 54th year.

The author, who trained as a lawyer, begins in the very first paragraph of the book by making an assertion that is nowhere supported by fact.

‘On May 5th, 1947, by a cruel twist of Fate, a young female, a child of the universe, found herself trapped in the wrong place at the wrong time.

As a result, a terrible miscarriage of justice occurred, which was to remain covered up for 54 long and painful years.’

Later on page 66 the author states; ‘…Latest research suggests that the problems we TS souls face are rooted in hormonal imbalance during pregnancy. It is nobody’s fault, just a cruel twist of fate – quite literally a female brain trapped in a male body….’ (Appendix 4 of the book expands in more detail this statement.)

Such assertions are speculation. How, for instance does one measure, retrospectively after 54+ years, the amount of hormones in the womb of Gina’s mother during her pregnancy? It cannot be done. To suggest that this sort of hypothesis adequately explains the development of ‘a female brain in a male body’ is little more than wishful thinking – at best!

I would have thought that someone with legal training would go to more effort to present verifiable information in a book such as this. To suggest elsewhere in the book that such a state (transgender behaviour) is akin to someone suffering from cancer stretches the credibility of the author almost beyond acceptance. All cancers have a demonstrable underlying physical cause. Transgenderism has no such verifiable underlying cause.

The line of argument used here, that is, ‘I was born this way by a cruel twist of fate’, taken to an extreme could be used equally by tyrants such as, Hitler, Stalin & Pol Pot to rationalise their behaviour.

In the dock Hitler could claim that an excessive dose of male hormone whilst he was still a fetus in his mother’s womb resulted in him being having a brain abnormality that compelled him to behave in the way that he did and force on him his subsequent behaviour. And that he had no choice other than to submit to the ‘controller’ (the term used in the book) within.

Indeed, Hitler’s persecution of Jews and homosexuals was based on just such a view: a view known as ‘biological determinism’ that was abandoned by biologists decades ago.

There is a need for more research into the transgender ‘condition’. Most of what research is already available would suggest psychological, not physical, causation. Were transgender behaviour not a psychological syndrome why should a referral to a consultant psychiatrist be required?

If there were substance to the prenatal hormonal imbalance hypothesis resulting in brain abnormality, why not a referral to a consultant neurologist and or an endocrinologist?
Again, if such a claim were ultimately proven, would there not be a possibility that pre natal detection could be developed? Would such detection then provide the possibility of correction (cure), abortion, or later sterilisation?

The author, after having self diagnosed ‘transsexuality’ then proceeded initially to obtain hormones via the Internet: an alarming practice. Hormones do have serious potential side effects and should only be administered under responsible and close medical supervision.

Gina's wife, Joan, contributes an early chapter outlining her reaction to the disclosure. As is stated, few wives in similar positions respond with the same degree of tolerance. She is to be commended. But is she unwittingly colluding in a self-deception? The children's reaction described in the book is, sadly, commonplace.

Transgendered lobby groups are currently campaigning hard to lobby the UK Government to introduce legislative change to facilitate recognition of transsexual marriages and birth certificate changes.

Last year the International Court of Human Rights, meeting in closed session in Strasbourg came to a unanimous decision, in part based on similar misleading evidence that was submitted to it by pro-transsexual lobby groups. (Evidences that contradicted the transsexual claim were deliberately excluded.) The decision advocated the immediate granting of marriage (etc.) rights to transsexuals. This decision is compelling on the United Kingdom government.

I am entirely sympathetic to the personal anguish and ambivalence that gender confused individuals experience. I am an advocate of more understanding of their circumstances. But, an understanding based on truth – not speculation.

This book like so many similar stories, advocates ‘a wake up call to society.’ A wake up call which is based entirely on an individual’s ‘rights’ to be determined by his (or her) feelings of identity – as a right? – A wake up call that should alarm thinking members of society.

Keith Tiller,
Parakaleo Ministry