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The Last Time I Wore a Dress
UPDATED WITH A NEW EPILOGUE
At fifteen years old, Daphne Scholinski was committed to a mental institution and awarded the dubious diagnosis of Gender Identity Disorder. For three years and more than a million dollars of insurance, the problem was “treated”—with makeup lessons and instructions in how to walk like a girl.
With a new epilogue by Scholinski, whose name is now Dylan and who identifies as nonbinary, this revised paperback edition of The Last Time I Wore a Dress looks back at those experiences and their life since. It chronicles the journey of coming into oneself and gaining a nuanced, freeing understanding of being born transgender. This memoir tells Dylan Scholinski’s remarkable story in an honest, unforgettable voice that’s both heartbreaking and hopeful.
At fifteen years old, Daphne Scholinski was committed to a mental institution and awarded the dubious diagnosis of Gender Identity Disorder. For three years and more than a million dollars of insurance, the problem was “treated”—with makeup lessons and instructions in how to walk like a girl.
With a new epilogue by Scholinski, whose name is now Dylan and who identifies as nonbinary, this revised paperback edition of The Last Time I Wore a Dress looks back at those experiences and their life since. It chronicles the journey of coming into oneself and gaining a nuanced, freeing understanding of being born transgender. This memoir tells Dylan Scholinski’s remarkable story in an honest, unforgettable voice that’s both heartbreaking and hopeful.
270 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 1, 1998
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
September 1, 2025
I’m going to be so honest, I did not choose this book for myself. I’m currently in grad school working towards my MSW, and this memoir was a required read in my Social Work with LGBTQ class. While required, it was phenomenal, and I flew through it. Dylan (Daphne) recounts their adolescent experiences in mental health institutions in the 1980s as someone diagnosed with Gender Identity Disorder. It is apparent they were also experiencing other mental illnesses; however, medical professionals neglected to treat those due to their sensitivity and bias regarding gender identity. It’s interesting how different medicine and society would respond to a teenager like Daphne today verses at that time. I learned a lot through this one, grateful I was forced to read it!
October 25, 2025
This book is more along the line of "A Million Little Pieces" by Frey. Not a true memoir but a fictionalized account of fleeting experience. Think about it....no one would have been institutionalized for being a tomboy, being a violent teen, yes but not for femininity training. Too much of the real story is missing.
The following quoted from a general Google AI search (more succinct and solid research data is found in the history of psych. institutions):
"While "Gender Identity Disorder" (GID) was a diagnostic category in the DSM-III, it's not accurate to say people were directly institutionalized because of it. The DSM-III did not prescribe specific treatments or actions for individuals diagnosed with GID..."
A Million Little Lies would be more descriptive of this terrible book.
The following quoted from a general Google AI search (more succinct and solid research data is found in the history of psych. institutions):
"While "Gender Identity Disorder" (GID) was a diagnostic category in the DSM-III, it's not accurate to say people were directly institutionalized because of it. The DSM-III did not prescribe specific treatments or actions for individuals diagnosed with GID..."
A Million Little Lies would be more descriptive of this terrible book.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews