The Last Time I Wore A Dress

"At the age of fifteen, Daphne Scholinski was put in a mental hospital for what her psychiatrist called "failure to identity as a sexual female." The hospital gave her a diagnosis that was brand-new to the medical books: Gender Identity Disorder. The years that should have been Daphne's typical high school experience instead consisted of periods of seclusion and physical restraint, frequent does of sedatives, and the close company of people who were truly crazy. It's hard to believe that doctors, circa 1981, described Daphne's treatment goals as becoming more obsessive about boys, learning about makeup, dressing more like a girl, curling and styling hair, and spending quality time learning about "girl things" with peers. Thousand of teenagers are institutionalized in the United States each year for being too sissyish or too much of a tomboy.Though the facts are truly frightening, Jane Meredith Adams has captured Daphne's fresh, funny, triumphant voice so vividly that The Last Time I Wore a Dress is impossible to put down. The result is a book is reminiscent of The Catcher in the Rye and One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest as well as an expose of a shameful medical sham that has destroyed countless childhoods."--Publisher's description.… (more)

User reviews

LibraryThing member Crowyhead

The powerful account of one teenage girl's experiences in a series of mental insitutions after she was diagnosed with Gender Identity Disorder, due simply to her unwillingness to conform to typical feminine behavior. It's been compared to Girl, Interrupted, but I think I actually like this one

better -- it feels more frank and less self-indulgent.

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LibraryThing member abbysees

So heartbreaking. I briefly met Dylan Scholinski (the author has transitioned since he wrote the book in 1997) last year when he came to my college campus. I finally got around to reading his memoir this year. This book, though short and not dense material, took me a few days to get through because

it was so emotionally hard to read. I highly highly recommend this book to anyone interested in learning more about trans issues.

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LibraryThing member TrIQ-Archiv

In 1981, at the age of 15, Daphne Scholinski was put in a mental hospital for what her psychiatrist called "failure to identify as a sexual female." Though the facts are truly frightening, The Last Time I Wore a Dress is an expose of a shameful medical sham that destroyed countless childhoods.

LibraryThing member bookwormteri

Daphne spent most of her teen years in a mental institution (or rather, several) due to gender nonconformity, among other issues. It blows my mind that people can just send their kids away because they are out of control and hope that someone else can just "fix" them. She is lucky that she didn't

end up with bigger issues because she spent formative time with all these people who had real mental health issues. Infuriating.

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LibraryThing member cougargirl1967

Well written and eye opening; I'm glad Daphne survived to tell us all her story.

LibraryThing member reader1009

adult/teen nonfiction; memoir (LGBT/insane asylum). Originally sent to an asylum because her parents refused to take care of her, Daphne is kept at various treatment facilities at first for pretending to be a drug addict and then for her "gender identity disorder."

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