Going to Trinidad: A Doctor, a Colorado Town, and Stories from an Unlikely Gender Crossroads

by Martin J Smith

For more than four decades, between 1969 and 2010, the remote former mining town of Trinidad, Colorado was the unlikely crossroads for approximately six thousand medical pilgrims who came looking for relief from the pain of gender dysphoria. The surgical skill and nonjudgmental compassion of surgeons Stanley Biber and his transgender protege Marci Bowers not only made the phrase “Going to Trinidad” a euphemism for gender confirmation surgery in the worldwide transgender community, but also turned the small outpost near the New Mexico border into what The New York Times once called “the sex-change capital of the world.”

The full story of that nearly forgotten chapter in gender and medical history has never been told—until now. Award-winning writer Martin J. Smith spent two years researching not only the stories of Trinidad, Biber, and Bowers, but also tracking the lives of many transgender men and women who sought their services. The result is “Going to Trinidad,” which focuses on the complicated pre- and post-surgery lives of two Biber patients—Claudine Griggs and Walt Heyer—who experienced very different outcomes. Through them, Smith takes readers deep into the often-mystifying world of gender, genitalia, and sexuality, and chronicles a fascinating segment of the human species that's often misunderstood by those for whom gender remains a mostly binary male-or-female equation.

The stories of Trinidad's surgeons and transgender pilgrims provide an important opportunity to better understand the millions of complex individuals whose personal struggle is complicated by today's quicksand of cultural pressures and prejudices. More than six thousand transgender men and women left Trinidad hoping that hormone therapy and surgical relief was the right prescription for their pain. For most it was, but not for all, and their experiences offer important and timely insights for those struggling to understand this sometimes confounding human condition.

Genres: Nonfiction, Transgender, History, Audiobook, Health, LGBT

182 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 15, 2021

Reviews

[Wendy Withers · Rating 1 out of 5]

I liked the concept of this book more than the actual book. The chapters on Trinidad and Dr. Biber were great, but am mystified why the author covered Walt Heyer at all, let alone gave him almost 1/3 of the book. on page 192 the author states "No one should be surprised that Heyer, his books, and his ongoing sexchangeregret.com crusade are give little credence by experts and those within the LGBTQ and transgender community. They correctly point out that his experience is far from typical, and his assumption that nearly all transgender men and women will, like him, eventually regret their decision to transition is fatally flawed."
So why even give him a platform, let alone 1/3 of your book?

[Aiya · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to netgalley for the e-arc

Honestly, I really loved most of this book. Learning more about Dr. Biber and his practice was really interesting, and the chapters detailing Claudine Griggs journey through surgery and the aftermath was too.

However, I didn’t like the author’s choice to include Walt Heyer’s testimony. Heyer is not transgender, he suffers from many mental illnesses and due to misdiagnosis from his therapist he went through with hormone therapy and a sex change surgery he deeply regrets. He writes about this regret all the time, and advocates for the fact that most people who get the sex change surgery end up regretting it, which is simply false.

While stories like these are important to recognize while talking about the dangers of misdiagnosis or therapists making quick calls and not taking them back, I think it was counterproductive to focus almost a third of the book on a mentally ill cis man who advocates against a surgery which can be lifesaving for many trans individuals. Heyer has a right to be upset, he has a right to feel violated because he went under the knife when he was not in his right mind, he even has a right to feel as though his medical team failed him. He does NOT have the right to advocate in the way he does.

Dr. Biber’s work helped over 6,000 trans people between 1969 and 2010, and the majority of his patients were much better off for it. His work was invaluable to the trans community, especially in an age where so many people had never even heard of “transgender” or the more common term back then “transsexual”.

I would absolutely recommend this book, it is a piece of trans history you shouldn’t miss out on. Just remember that Walt Heyer is the outlier, not the norm.

[Aiya · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to netgalley for the e-arc

Honestly, I really loved most of this book. Learning more about Dr. Biber and his practice was really interesting, and the chapters detailing Claudine Griggs journey through surgery and the aftermath was too.

However, I didn’t like the author’s choice to include Walt Heyer’s testimony. Heyer is not transgender, he suffers from many mental illnesses and due to misdiagnosis from his therapist he went through with hormone therapy and a sex change surgery he deeply regrets. He writes about this regret all the time, and advocates for the fact that most people who get the sex change surgery end up regretting it, which is simply false.

While stories like these are important to recognize while talking about the dangers of misdiagnosis or therapists making quick calls and not taking them back, I think it was counterproductive to focus almost a third of the book on a mentally ill cis man who advocates against a surgery which can be lifesaving for many trans individuals. Heyer has a right to be upset, he has a right to feel violated because he went under the knife when he was not in his right mind, he even has a right to feel as though his medical team failed him. He does NOT have the right to advocate in the way he does.

Dr. Biber’s work helped over 6,000 trans people between 1969 and 2010, and the majority of his patients were much better off for it. His work was invaluable to the trans community, especially in an age where so many people had never even heard of “transgender” or the more common term back then “transsexual”.

I would absolutely recommend this book, it is a piece of trans history you shouldn’t miss out on. Just remember that Walt Heyer is the outlier, not the norm.

[Amie's Book Reviews · Rating 5 out of 5]

GOING TO TRINIDAD has absolutely nothing to do with the country of Trinidad. Instead, this superbly researched and written book with the subtitle: A DOCTOR, A COLORADO TOWN, and STORIES FROM AN UNLIKELY GENDER CROSSROADS informs readers of the town of Trinidad, Colorado and it’s unlikely history as THE hub for gender reassignment surgery.

Anyone who is interested in, an ally of, or a member of, the LGBTQIA2S+ community should absolutely read this book.

Written with sufficient detail that the reader comes away with a feeling of deep awareness and empathy for those who suffer from gender dysphoria. Readers will also come to profoundly respect doctors Biber and Bowers.

For a detailed description of the book as well as my full book review, please go to:

bit.ly/GoingToTrinidad

(Be sure to enter the address exactly as it is shown above as it is case sensitive)

You can follow my book blog at:

http://Amiesbookreviews.wordpress.com

Also follow me on Instagram at:

http://www.instagram.com/Amiesbookrev...

[Heather · Rating 3 out of 5]

Being from Colorado, it was interesting to read the history of Trinidad and Dr. Biber. I listened to parts of this as audio and the reader's mispronunciation of some of the Colorado towns drove me up the wall. I wish there had been more stories from patients of Dr. Biber or Dr. Bowers because the two that were included seemed skewed toward the negative aspects of gender confirmation surgery. The amount of time spent on Walt Heyer could have easily been reduced and replaced with a variety of others' experiences.

[Emile Cessna · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read this book as a nonbinary trans person living in Colorado and interested in the history of Trinidad, CO, but where this book fails for me as a reader is because the author is a cis man. He spends a lot of the book using dated medical terms without a glossary of terms or clearer explanation of historical context. The book jacket even admits that the New York Times calling Trinidad the “sex change capital of the world” was “indelicate” yet allows the term “sex-change” to be prominent on the cover and in reviews. This has allowed many cis people to continue calling it a “sex-change capital” to my face. I lost it when I skipped ahead (tired of the unnecessary, repeated in multiple chapters, story of someone who regretted their surgery) to learn more about Dr. Marci Bower, the living protege of Dr. Biber who is the only surgeon available to some of my friends in the local area, and turn to a page where the author (TW: misgendering) uses her dead name and he/him pronouns to describe her past. This is a huge social faux paus and insulting to her career and legacy. I give the book two stars because it did inform me the things I wanted to know about Trinidad as the home of Dr. biber’s medical practice, but I did not need the constant explaining of gender dysphoria and talking down to a presumed all cis readership as if he were justifying why trans people exist at all.

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

This fascinating story of sex-confirmation surgeon Stanley Biber and two of his former patients reads more like fiction than non-fiction. All three of the stories weave, intersect, and diverge to give an interesting look at transgender experiences and the decision to seek surgery, as well as the treatment and options for people suffering from gender dysphoria. Author Smith has discussed his own learning curve as he researched this book, which may not tick every box for every LGBTQ reader, but will for a cisgender readers wanting to learn more. His conscientiousness shows with footnoted research and is balanced by the afterword by Marci Bowers, herself a transgender woman who took on Bieber's practice after he retired.

The only thing the book lacked for me: I would have liked to get a bigger picture of Biber as a person--the other two characters are still alive and were able to speak to the author, but Biber died in 2006 and apparently did not leave many personal journals or letters, because I felt I knew less about him and his personal story than that of the two transgender patients.

Overall, this is a great look at a timely and interesting topic and a fills a missing piece of Colorado's history.

[Shane · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was provided an e-ARC from Netgalley. I was very interested to learn more about trans history, especially something which inspired an entire euphemism I’ve never heard of. I appreciated the history itself and the fact that the author reflects on broader trends in the trans experience. However, like several other reviewers I see, I disagreed with the way and the extent that Walt Heyer’s story was included. I do think it’s important not to create this impossible standard for gender confirmation surgery, where we do not acknowledge there are SOME people who have regrets about it. On the other hand, not only do all surgeries have SOME people with regrets, gender confirmation surgeries have a very low percentage of that population. While the author acknowledges this, the main perspective of this book focuses on someone who not only has regrets but claims everyone else does, also. There’s even a section at the end of the book where someone tells the author that sensational stories like this get too much attention. It seems very ironic to have that self awareness in a book that…spends so much of its pages giving this story too much attention.

[WallofText · Rating 2 out of 5]

{Digital copy provided by NetGalley}

I had high hopes for this book but what I found was a work that tried to be too many things at once, leaving it a disorganised mess. Principally this book focuses on four people who are all connected to the gender affirming surgical work done for decades in the small town of Trinidad, Colorado. Two of the doctors perfoming the procedures and two of one of the doctors patients with different views on their experiences. In between facts about Trinidad, the interpersonal lives of these people often over a span of decades, as well as a variety of content related to transgender identity, history, and medicine, this quickly becomes crowded. I also found the writing style of the author of inconsistent quality and his approach especially at the start of the book to be a bit outdated. In general this is a book by an outsider who has no personal connection or knowledge to any of the subject matter except living in the same state and it shows. Valiant efforts were made, but overall this book disappointed me. The only thing I am taking away from it positively is encouraging me to read further into several of the people and subjects mentioned.

[Kathryn Atkins · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received an ARC of this book, and I had been somewhat prepared for the content. But as a middle-aged cisgender, I was not prepared for the frequent and frank use of 'terms' at first. After a while, the words-that-shall-not-be-named gender-defining body parts disappeared as the people's difficulties took center stage.

It's almost a must-read for any gender (cis or otherwise) as a way of understanding the 'problem' of being born someone you didn't want to be. Gender in this case, but race and ethnicity come to mind. What about being disabled? Or poor? Or anything that isn't optimum. Here's the thing. The topic has a farther reach. It just happens that the inner struggle may be more poignant because change is possible. We cannot change our race. We cannot change our talent bag.

It's a tough topic that was handled well. Thanks to Martin J. Smith for being brave enough to tackle it.

[Alex Liuzzi · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wanted to like this more. I wanted the deep stories of transgender people intertwined with the complex realities of gender reassignment surgery, and ideally a healthy dose of the deconstruction of gender binary thinking. Instead, it rested only on two central characters, one not actually transgender, and a lot of justifying why that story was included in this book. It felt under researched and attempting to capitalize on a hot topic without the trust and integration into the community under discussion that would have led to a fuller picture of the realities and would still be able to hold in the wide scope and challenges with transition. A lost opportunity. But a place someone else should be able to fill.

[CJD · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well written, thoroughly researched book - both engaging and educational. As someone who grew up in the 50's, I had little knowledge about gender identity issues. Martin Smith's book gave me a brief and easy-to-understand explanation of the issues including biology, psychology and sociology. However, having grown up in Trinidad with Dr. Biber as the main town doctor, I do not share the author's rosy portrayal of either Biber's medical or surgical skills. When Smith briefly notes that some people took issue with Biber's diagnostic skills as a doctor, I cringe. In my opinion, he loved surgery (and the income from it) and found every excuse for doing it whether it was needed or not. And, for my step father the result was a slow, miserable death.

[Mia Payne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty standard non fiction. It's an interesting story, but the two main subjects could have been chosen better. I wish we heard a wider array of perspectives. I was left feeling, like I should have just read the biographies of the two people which were heavily quoted.

The story of the surgery and trinidad wasn't very interesting. I felt like the book lacked substance because there just wasn't enough to say on the topic.

I do respect the author for including a detransisioner. I think that was a brave choice.

The afterwards is the best part. Marci is vicious! Never read a afterwards before that seemed to actively disagree with and dislike the book.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fascinating book. I grew up not all that far from Trinidad, CO, but had no idea that it was the gender confirmation center of the American universe for so long. This is a topic about which I know almost nothing, and which I have a little difficulty understanding.

Smith's reporting reveals the pros and cons of GCS without judgement. He brings the people to life with empathy.

I think this is an important book to read for anyone who wants to understand humanity and the human experience more deeply.

[Pam · Rating 4 out of 5]

A community in southern Colorado was home to the preeminent sex-reassignment surgeon in the country for decades. His story and the story of two of his patients (not typical trans folks.) Sad to hear about the struggles people went through to become who they were, but I’m grateful for this pioneer. Interesting to have spent a night and wandered through this community several years ago, and to see no mention of this part of its history.

[Andy Janes · Rating 2 out of 5]

Some really good stuff in here and I had been looking for something to read on the history of gender confirmation surgeries in Trinidad. But some of the writing felt REALLY old fashioned and cringy, plus I do not understand why Heyer got so much of the book. It felt like half the book was about giving space for people opposed to trans medical options (he had an interesting story even if I disagree with him, but it didn't fit with the rest of the book).

[Dylan Miller · Rating 5 out of 5]

In elegant and honest prose, Smith gives readers a further glimpse into the lives of transgender individuals and their struggles with the specifics of transitioning, socially and medically. A must read for educators, families, and friends of transgender folx, as well as those interested in the history of the community itself.

[Cynthia · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was fascinating. I vaguely knew about the history of Trinidad as a destination for sex reassignment surgery, but I knew nothing about how it all started or about Dr. Bieber. Smith's journalistic skills as well as his empathy come through here, with the case studies that are heartbreaking and beautifully, respectfully told. I listened to this on audio and enjoyed it immensely.

[Sara Miller · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a fascinating look at the pioneers of gender affirmation surgery. I appreciated the insight into those whose lives were made better by the surgery and those who continued to suffer emotionally even after the surgery. The book provided a look into the mental health piece that is so important in gender dysphoria and after affirmation surgery. Really interesting!!

[Casey · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is such a great idea for a book, but it’s just not well done, in my opinion. The writing is distant — more summarized than lived — and it relies too much on the subjects’ own writings rather than new insights. It’s also quite problematic in places, and the decision to use different names and pronouns for Heyer felt more confusing than respectful.

[Gloria Harris · Rating 3 out of 5]

Could have been a four if Smith had omitted the large section about Walt Heyer. He was ultimately diagnosed with dissociative identify disorder, and his story didn't belong in this book.

[Alyssa Tuininga · Rating 4 out of 5]

Super interesting, informative and well balanced.

[Shana Z · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book: 2.5 stars
The afterword: 5 stars

[Gwen Weddington · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting story. I had no idea of Trinidad’s history. Since I’ve stopped there a few times effort lunch, I can admit this chapter is surprising. I’m glad I read the book.

[Joy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A detailed look into one of Colorado’s most unique stories.

[Marie Zahnle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Much to ponder.

[Reid Pletsch · Rating 1 out of 5]

For the love of God, please stop letting ignorant cishet men write queer people’s stories

[Ryan Fox · Rating 1 out of 5]

author sensationalizes trans people

[Bill O'driscoll · Rating 2 out of 5]

Problematic nonfiction book about the remote Colorado town that was for four decades the capital of gender-confirmation surgery in the U.S. Veteran journalist Smith does a great job of bringing us the town, and the subtitular doctor (quite a character), and he's good at explaining the sociological intricacies of this type of surgery. But he errs badly in choosing to focus on just two patients, one of them being a person born male who might well have multiple personality disorder and who regretted his surgery enough to become a vocal critic of gender reassignment surgery. The other patient is somewhat more representative in terms of her satisfaction with the procedure, but both had their surgeries decades ago, so that we don't get a sense of how younger patients, or those who got the surgery any time recently at all -- that is, after attitudes toward it had time to evolve a bit -- feel about it.