“When the Opposite Sex Isn’t is unlike any psychological account. Instead of cramming trans individuals into pre-existing etiological theories and taxonomies, Samons provides insights into transgender people’s lives and includes numerous helpful anecdotes that demystify their experience. This book will be appreciated and enjoyed by therapists and people interested in gender identity, human sexuality and transgender issues.”

– Julia Serano, author of Whipping Girl: A Transsexual Woman on Sexism and the Scapegoating of Femininity

“Sandra Samons reveals with empathy and sensitivity the journey of self discovery and social emergence transgender people experience as they reshape their lives. It’s all here: from the wonderings of a child, to some questioning if it’s ‘too late’, to the wonders of lives fulfilled. More importantly, Samons’ observations of the primacy of gender identity and the plasticity of sexual orientation during transitions raise deep questions about human nature and the words we use to describe ourselves.”

– Lynn Conway, Professor Emerita at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor;

author of the transgender information website LynnConway.com

BRIEF EDITORIAL DESCRIPTION

When there is uncertainty about the gender identity or social gender role of an individual, determining exactly who is the opposite sex can be a complicated question for both the transgender person and for those who seek to relate to her. Written in both an enlightened and a reader friendly style interspersed with vignettes, When the Opposite Sex Isn’t offers a combination of insights and common sense understanding of the diversity of the human condition together with concepts of gender and sexuality that expand the horizons of any mental health professional, regardless of the clinical focus of their work. Samons challenges concepts once taken for granted, thus providing stimulus for creative thinking which many lay readers will also find interesting and entertaining, whether or not they are (thus far) acquainted with a transgender person.

ADDITIONAL ENDORSEMENT(S) OF BOOK

“Sandra Samons’ book When The Opposite Sex Isn’t offers an in-depth examination of her clinical work with transgender people over the past 15 years. She analyzed the clinical charts of 97 of her clients in a systematic way, both qualitatively and quantitatively. The result is a very readable account of what Samons has learned from her clients throughout her career. What stands out is the compassion she has for her clients, a healthy curiosity about their experiences, nuance in her synthesis and discussion of findings, never losing touch of plain good common sense. In this vain, she takes a close look at the relationship between gender identity and sexual orientation, acknowledges its complexity and validates a shift in sexual orientation during transition reported by some transgender individuals. Finally, Samons does justice to the great diversity found among this population. By listening carefully to transgender people’s experiences of gender and sexuality, Samons enriches our understanding of the development of sex, gender identity, and sexual orientation for all.”

– Walter Bockting, PhD, Coordinator of Transgender Health Services, Program in Human Sexuality; Associate Professor, Department of Family Medicine and Community Health; University of Minnesota Medical School; 2009-11 President of the World Professional Association for Transgender Health; Editor of “Guidelines for Transgender Care” (Haworth Press, 2006); Editor of the International Journal of Transgenderism

“Once considered a rare aberration ridiculed on daytime talk shows, transgenderism is finally coming to be seen as a condition to be understood and supported rather than pathologized and cured.  We have come to recognize that transgenderism is far more widespread than originally believed, with millions of lives-of both the trandsgendered and their loved ones-impacted by the challenges posed by an uneducated and intolerant society.  Dr. Samons is one of a growing number of professionals who are describing the transgender experience with sensitivity and eloquence.  Her book, When the Opposite Sex Isn’t, not only provides a compassionate insight into the transgender phenomenon, but also takes on the complex issue of sexual orientation and its fluidity in the transgender population.  This book is a must-read for every person who has ever questioned their gender identity, who lives or interacts with a transgendered person, or who provides therapeutic or medical care for this population. ”

-Dennis P. Sugrue, Ph.D., AASECT Past President and Diplomate in Sex Therapy, Clinical Associate Professor of Psychiatry, University of Michigan Medical School

Dr. Randi Ettner,
Author of Principles of Transgender Medicine and Surgery and Gender Loving Care