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

Playdon, an emeritus professor of medical humanities at the University of London, frames this meticulous history of trans rights in Great Britain around the case of Scottish aristocrat Sir Ewan Forbes of Craigievar (1912–1991), who was “assigned as female at birth, christened Elisabeth, and raised as a girl.” In 1952, claiming that his sex assignment had been a “ghastly mistake,” Forbes had his birth certificate corrected to male, changed his name to Ewan, and married his housekeeper. When his older brother died without male heirs in 1965, Forbes stood to inherit a baronetcy, but his cousin made a counterclaim, alleging that Forbes “is now and has all along been of the female sex.” Playdon delves deep into the conflicting medical evidence presented at the private trial, which determined that Forbes was “a true hermaphrodite in whom male sexual characteristics predominate” and upheld his claim to the baronetcy. The ruling was withheld from the public record, however, allowing a subsequent court case to set a legal precedent that severely limited trans rights in the U.K. Playdon marshals a wealth of scientific and legal detail and paints a sympathetic yet evenhanded portrait of Forbes, who likely faked some of the medical evidence he presented at trial. The result is a valuable contribution to trans history. (Nov.)