Marci Bowers
Encyclopedia
Marci L. Bowers is an American
gynecologist who operated a surgical practice in Trinidad, Colorado
. She has moved her practice to California in December 2010. Bowers is viewed as an innovator in the field of transgender surgery
, as well as a pioneer, being the first transsexual woman to be performing the surgery. Bowers has been referred to as the "Rock Star" of transgender surgery.
Medical School in 1986, where she was president of both her class, and the entire student body. Bowers later went on to study under the late Dr. Stanley Biber
, a surgeon
who performed over 4,000 transgender surgeries, and is credited for giving Trinidad the title "Sex Change Capital of the World."
When Biber retired in 2003 at the age of 80, Bowers took over his practice, and since then, has done over 300 sexual reassignment surgeries, performing about five operations per week at Mt. San Rafael hospital. Bowers says her surgeries bring an estimated $1.6 million (USD) per year to the hospital; she performs an average of 130 surgeries per year and charges $21,500 (USD) per MTF genital reassignment surgery
, a substantial portion of which covers hospital costs. This surgery is only one of several medical interventions that can be part of gender transition
.
Sex reassignment surgery generally is not performed on persons under the age of 18 in the United States. However, the issue of athletes who change sexes before puberty has been brought up to Bowers, in relation to a minor who had a sex change operation and wished to try out for a cheerleading
team. Bowers was consulted about the issue, and said that most surgeons, including herself, would require patients to wait until they are over the age of 18.
Dr. Bowers also puts her expertise in vaginoplasty at the disposal of victims of female genital mutilation, whom she does not charge for surgery.
entitled "Ch-ch-changes", which focused on transsexuality, and served as a consultant for the episode.
Bowers has been a guest on the American talk shows The Oprah Winfrey Show
, The Tyra Banks Show
, and was the subject of a six-part BBC
documentary
series first shown on British
television
Channel 4
. The documentary was titled "Sex Change Hospital" and featured her performing genital reassigments
, as well as covering the back stories of the patients. The series was also shown on Channels 4's spin off channel, E4. Bowers has also been interviewed for a variety of magazines.
Marci Bowers was featured in the 2009 documentary, Trinidad, which focused on transsexuals that flock to Trinidad, Colorado to have gender reassignment surgery. The independent film has appeared on the Showtime movie network.
that they claimed proved surgery was not successful in treating gender identity issues. The petition was rejected.
Bowers countered that the church misrepresented the study data, explaining, "If you look at the actual study itself, the satisfaction rates and happiness rates after [surgeries] were overwhelmingly positive, their interpretation of the study was that the respondents—the patients themselves—couldn’t possibly be accurate about what they were feeling, because they were crazy in the first place. There’s been nothing like it since—and it’s very important to point out that it’s from 1972."
, read, cook and travel to Seattle to visit her children. She was also shown on a Discovery Health Channel
one-hour LGBT-themed special about two transsexual women transitioning and their stories, "Switching Sexes: The Aftermath".
Bowers notes on her website that she is a vegetarian.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
gynecologist who operated a surgical practice in Trinidad, Colorado
Trinidad, Colorado
The historic City of Trinidad is a Home Rule Municipality that is the county seat and the most populous city of Las Animas County, Colorado, United States...
. She has moved her practice to California in December 2010. Bowers is viewed as an innovator in the field of transgender surgery
Sex reassignment surgery
Sex reassignment surgery is a term for the surgical procedures by which a person's physical appearance and function of their existing sexual characteristics are altered to resemble...
, as well as a pioneer, being the first transsexual woman to be performing the surgery. Bowers has been referred to as the "Rock Star" of transgender surgery.
Education
Bowers graduated from the University of MinnesotaUniversity of Minnesota
The University of Minnesota, Twin Cities is a public research university located in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, United States. It is the oldest and largest part of the University of Minnesota system and has the fourth-largest main campus student body in the United States, with 52,557...
Medical School in 1986, where she was president of both her class, and the entire student body. Bowers later went on to study under the late Dr. Stanley Biber
Stanley Biber
Stanley H. Biber was an American physician who was a pioneer in sex reassignment surgery, performing thousands of procedures during his long career.-Early life:...
, a surgeon
Surgeon
In medicine, a surgeon is a specialist in surgery. Surgery is a broad category of invasive medical treatment that involves the cutting of a body, whether human or animal, for a specific reason such as the removal of diseased tissue or to repair a tear or breakage...
who performed over 4,000 transgender surgeries, and is credited for giving Trinidad the title "Sex Change Capital of the World."
Career
Before moving to Trinidad, Bowers had a successful practice at the PolyClinic in Seattle, and has delivered over 2000 babies. Bowers has also served as Obstetrics and Gynecology Department Chairperson at Swedish (Providence) Medical Center, and was named the only physician member of the Washington State midwifery Board. She was named as one of "America's Best Physicians" for the 2002 to 2003 awards, and is a member-elect of the European Academy of Sciences.When Biber retired in 2003 at the age of 80, Bowers took over his practice, and since then, has done over 300 sexual reassignment surgeries, performing about five operations per week at Mt. San Rafael hospital. Bowers says her surgeries bring an estimated $1.6 million (USD) per year to the hospital; she performs an average of 130 surgeries per year and charges $21,500 (USD) per MTF genital reassignment surgery
Sex reassignment surgery male-to-female
Sex reassignment surgery from male to female involves reshaping the male genitals into a form with the appearance of and, as far as possible, the function of female genitalia. Prior to any surgeries, trans women usually undergo hormone replacement therapy and facial hair removal...
, a substantial portion of which covers hospital costs. This surgery is only one of several medical interventions that can be part of gender transition
Transitioning (transgender)
Transitioning is the process of changing one's gender presentation to accord with one's internal sense of one's gender - the idea of what it means to be a man or woman...
.
Sex reassignment surgery generally is not performed on persons under the age of 18 in the United States. However, the issue of athletes who change sexes before puberty has been brought up to Bowers, in relation to a minor who had a sex change operation and wished to try out for a cheerleading
Cheerleading
Cheerleading is a physical activity, sometimes a competitive sport, based on organized routines, usually ranging from one to three minutes, which contain the components of tumbling, dance, jumps, cheers, and stunting to direct spectators of events to cheer on sports teams at games or to participate...
team. Bowers was consulted about the issue, and said that most surgeons, including herself, would require patients to wait until they are over the age of 18.
Dr. Bowers also puts her expertise in vaginoplasty at the disposal of victims of female genital mutilation, whom she does not charge for surgery.
Media appearances
In 2004, Bowers appeared in an episode of CSI: Crime Scene InvestigationCSI: Crime Scene Investigation
CSI: Crime Scene Investigation is an American crime drama television series, which premiered on CBS on October 6, 2000. The show was created by Anthony E. Zuiker and produced by Jerry Bruckheimer...
entitled "Ch-ch-changes", which focused on transsexuality, and served as a consultant for the episode.
Bowers has been a guest on the American talk shows The Oprah Winfrey Show
The Oprah Winfrey Show
The Oprah Winfrey Show is an American syndicated talk show hosted and produced by its namesake Oprah Winfrey. It ran nationally for 25 seasons beginning in 1986, before concluding in 2011. It is the highest-rated talk show in American television history....
, The Tyra Banks Show
The Tyra Banks Show
The Tyra Banks Show, also known as and shortened to Tyra or The Tyra Show, is an American talk show hosted by Tyra Banks. The last new episode aired on Friday, May 28, 2010.-2005-2009: Syndication:...
, and was the subject of a six-part BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
documentary
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
series first shown on British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
Channel 4
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
. The documentary was titled "Sex Change Hospital" and featured her performing genital reassigments
Sex reassignment surgery
Sex reassignment surgery is a term for the surgical procedures by which a person's physical appearance and function of their existing sexual characteristics are altered to resemble...
, as well as covering the back stories of the patients. The series was also shown on Channels 4's spin off channel, E4. Bowers has also been interviewed for a variety of magazines.
Marci Bowers was featured in the 2009 documentary, Trinidad, which focused on transsexuals that flock to Trinidad, Colorado to have gender reassignment surgery. The independent film has appeared on the Showtime movie network.
Controversy
Not all of Trinidad's residents are happy with the town's title of "Sex Change Capital"; Terry Keith, a pastor for the All Nations Fellowship church, commented: "Our reputation as sex-change capital of the world has brought shame and reproach on the community," in an interview with the Pueblo Chieftain in 2005. That same year, two pastors petitioned to have the clinic shut down, citing a study done by Johns Hopkins UniversityJohns Hopkins University
The Johns Hopkins University, commonly referred to as Johns Hopkins, JHU, or simply Hopkins, is a private research university based in Baltimore, Maryland, United States...
that they claimed proved surgery was not successful in treating gender identity issues. The petition was rejected.
Bowers countered that the church misrepresented the study data, explaining, "If you look at the actual study itself, the satisfaction rates and happiness rates after [surgeries] were overwhelmingly positive, their interpretation of the study was that the respondents—the patients themselves—couldn’t possibly be accurate about what they were feeling, because they were crazy in the first place. There’s been nothing like it since—and it’s very important to point out that it’s from 1972."
Personal life
Bowers was named Mark at birth, and first attempted the transition from man to woman at the age of 19, but was unsuccessful due to a lack of family support and funds. Twenty years later, she successfully completed the procedure. Bowers married eleven years prior to her surgery, and remains married to her female spouse. They have three children, and while they no longer have a conventional marital relationship, Bowers says they are "closer than sisters." During her spare time, Bowers likes to play golfGolf
Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
, read, cook and travel to Seattle to visit her children. She was also shown on a Discovery Health Channel
Discovery Health Channel
Discovery Health Channel is a website owned by Discovery Communications, created for people interested in health and wellness. Until December 31, 2010, it was a U.S. cable television specialty channel dedicated to television programming that highlights various aspects of health and wellness...
one-hour LGBT-themed special about two transsexual women transitioning and their stories, "Switching Sexes: The Aftermath".
Bowers notes on her website that she is a vegetarian.