Michael Dillon (May 1, 1915 – May 15, 1962)

Laurence Michael Dillon was a British physician and the first FTM transsexual to undergo phalloplasty surgery. The pedicled groin flap procedure became known as the Gillies technique and is considered the first reliable phalloplasty procedure. By 1939, Dillon—who was more comfortable in men’s clothes and sincerely felt that he was a man—sought treatment with Dr. George Foss. Testosterone’s androgenic effects were not yet understood, but Dr. Foss provided Dillon with oral testosterone tablets. It is believed that Dillon was the first FTM transsexual to use testosterone therapy.

While in the hospital for a head injury, Dillon connected with a plastic surgeon, a rare specialty at the time, who performed a double mastectomy for him. This surgeon also provided Dillon with a note that would help him have his birth certificate corrected, and put him in touch with Dr. Harold Gillies, who performed phalloplasty surgery for injured soldiers of WWII.

In 1946, Gillies agreed to perform phalloplasty for Dillon, but officially diagnosed him with hypospadias to hide the transsexual nature of the surgery. From 1946 to 1949, Gillies performed at least 13 surgeries on Dillon.

In 1946 Dillon published a book about what we now call transsexuality, Self: A Study in Endocrinology and Ethics. He wrote about “masculine inverts” and claimed this inversion was innate — a hidden physical condition that could not be changed through psychoanalysis and should instead be treated medically.

“Where the mind cannot be made to fit the body, the body should be made to fit, approximately at any rate, to the mind.” – Michael Dillon, Self: A Study in Endocrinology and Ethics

The book brought him to the attention of Roberta Cowell, who by Dillon’s hand would become the first British trans woman to receive MTF sex reassignment surgery. Though Dillon had not yet completed his medical training, he performed an orchiectomy on Cowell, a procedure that was illegal under British law.

Unwanted press attention to his aristocratic background led Dillon to flee to India where he immersed himself in Buddhist studies, pursued ordination and took on the Buddhist name, Sramanera Jivaka. However, he was initially refused ordination and soon moved on to Ladakh, where he was ordained a novice monk and took the name Lobzang Jivaka. He devoted his time to Buddhism and writing. He published four books on Buddhism, including The Life of Milarepa about the famous 11th century Tibetan yogi. In 1962, his health started to fail, likely related to oral testosterone’s toll on the liver, and he died in hospital in India at age 47.

Pagan Kennedy’s 2007 book, The First Man-Made Man, chronicles Dillon’s life story, including his romance with Roberta Cowell, revealing the struggles of early transsexuals.

October is LGBT History Month. This post on Michael Dillon is taken from Transguys.com by Joshua Riverdale. Read all the stories on A Brief History of FTM Trans Civilisation.

20th Century Transgender Men

These historical profiles of some of the key trans men of the past century highlight their remarkable achievements. Their perseverance in the face of prejudice has earned them a place in the FTM trans history time line.

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