
The Hidden Case of Ewan Forbes: The Transgender Trial that Threatened to Upend the British Establishment (Hardback)
Zoe Playdon (author)Published: 11/11/2021

In this eye-opening, meticulously researched account of the trans struggle from the early 20th century, Playdon draws on the fields of law, medicine, psychology and biology to uncover the remarkable, long-hidden story of early trans pioneer Ewan Forbes.
Ewan Forbes was born Elisabeth Forbes to a wealthy landowning family in 1912. It quickly became clear that the gender applied to him at birth was not correct, and from the age of six he began to see specialists in Europe for help.
With the financial means of procuring synthetic hormones, Ewan was able to live as a boy, and then as man, and was even able to correct the sex on his birth certificate in order to marry. Then, in 1965, his older brother died and Ewan was set to inherit the family baronetcy.
After his cousin contested the inheritance on the grounds that it could only be inherited by a male heir, Ewan was forced to defend his male status in an extraordinary court case, testing the legal system of the time to the limits of its understanding.
In The Hidden Case of Ewan Forbes, Zoe Playdon draws on the fields of law, medicine, psychology and biology to reveal a remarkable hidden history, uncovering for the first time records that were considered so threatening that they had been removed from view for decades.
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
ISBN: 9781526619136
Number of pages: 416
Weight: 762 g
Dimensions: 234 x 153 mm
MEDIA REVIEWS
'A revelation ... Zoe Playdon has written a formidable book ... Magnificently researched and told' - Michael Cashman
'As a seasoned activist and skilled academic, Zoe Playdon provides us with an illuminating account of the trans struggle for justice, human rights and equality. Her lens is the secret case of Ewan Forbes, where a class-based legal system sought to preserve male primogeniture. This is a landmark work of history, law and social change' - Baroness Helena Kennedy QC
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“The story of a relevant hidden history.”
I wa drawn to this book after reading its synopsis in the “Bookseller” magazine. Ewan Forbes’s life was fascinating. Born as Elizabeth to a wealthy, well connected Scottish family of baronetcy, Ewan went through... More
“An important book”
I was interested to read this book as there seem to be such heated discussions at present about gender, and I wanted to read what I hoped would be a more measured and historical discussion of the various issues so... More
“A fascinating and thought provoking book”
This book is about the basic civil liberties for transgender people that evaporated in the late 1960’s when the law requires compliance with the gender stated on birth certificates. This injustice is linked to the... More
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