Transgender Rock Star

Courtesy of Marci L. Bowers, M.D.

By Ashley Neglia

Called a transgender "rock star" for her ground-breaking work in the field of genital reassignment, Marci L. Bowers, M.D. is not only one of the world's top sex-change surgeons, she's also a transgender woman.

Bowers, 51, was originally born with male genitalia, but if you ask her, she'll tell you that she had a hidden feminine side. While the rest of the world viewed her as a man named Mark, she always had a constant connection to her veiled femininity -- whether cross-dressing in private or simply wearing a pair of girls' socks.

Bowers first attempted to transition into a woman when she dropped out of college and began wearing women's clothing. Because she lacked the funds for surgery as well as emotional support from her family, she decided to stop the transition and return to the University of Minnesota, where she immersed herself in her studies and went back to living as a man. At 27, she met her future wife. The two were married for 11 years and had three children before Bowers decided she wanted to complete the transition she had started two decades prior.

Now a woman, Bowers tried to work on her marriage while continuing to practice as an obstetrician and gynecologist in Seattle, Washington. It wasn't until she met the late Stanley Biber, M.D., a sex change pioneer, that she began her work with transgender surgery.

In 2003, Bowers took over Biber's practice in Trinidad, Colorado, which is unofficially called the "Sex Change Capital of the World," and was named one of "America's Best Physicians" in 2002. She was the subject of a six-part documentary titled "Sex Change Hospital," which has aired on We TV and featured her performing genital reassignment surgeries with an emphasis on her patients' personal stories. AOL Health had the opportunity to speak with Bowers about her personal life and career.

AOL Health: Are you comfortable discussing your own transition?

Bowers: I live a woman’s life, so I tend to be kind of annoyed by that the farther I get away from my life as a man. But of course it’s front and center, and I’d say my life is kind of an open book. I sort of had the mother of all social histories because I transitioned while living with a boyfriend, while I remained married with three kids.

AOL Health: When did you first begin to realize that you were meant to live your life as a woman?

Bowers: I had the quintessential transgender childhood. I began cross-dressing and cross gender identification very early, but for the most part suppressed those feelings. I always privately had my feminine side. I would wear girl socks or some article of clothing just so that I could keep that connection always.

At 19, I left college and hitchhiked and gathered enough clothing to make a transition. But in 1978 there weren't resources out there. There was no computer, no Internet, and I didn’t have a lot of money, so I got very determined and I went back to school -- still trying to suppress the concept of transition. I always hoped for it and prayed for it, but I never thought it was entirely possible [to completely suppress it].

AOL Health: You first attempted to transition at age 19, but had to put it on hold because of lack of emotional and financial support. When did you first meet your spouse and how were you capable of suppressing your feelings enough to get married?

Bowers: We weren't together until I was 27. We were college sweethearts, met over a lab bench in immunology at the University of Wisconsin. We had a good connection. She had a sense of humor and was obviously intelligent. I really wasn't completely comfortable with the idea of transition, I'd read about it in Time magazine, but I thought, I don't really need to do that.

I always had [women's] clothing, I always had these strong feelings. I thought I could outrun them and they could go away. I went into ob/gyn thinking that would be a good outlet for me by throwing myself into women's lives. It made me realize more that that's where I should be.

AOL Health: When did your spouse find out about your desire to be a woman?

Bowers: She came across some clothing back when we were moving from St. Paul to Seattle, and it kind of devastated her initially. It was kind of an annoyance that was part of me. But it wasn't until 1996 that I told her [I wanted to transition]. By then I was starting to grow my hair long, do electrolysis.

I said, "I think I want to live the rest of my life as a woman," and she wasn't too happy, But we just just kept working on it. I've proven myself. I'm pretty smart, and usually the things that I've brought into a marriage have worked out. Having kids was my idea and she's always looked at me for spiritual and directional guidance in her life. It's all worked out.

AOL Health: How did your relationship change after you transitioned?

Bowers: She said, "I'm not a lesbian," and once I was female, she wasn't really who I was about anymore. Now our relationship is more like two sisters. She's very intelligent, she's a Ph.D., and she gets it. She gets my situation. She wasn't happy in the beginning, but she's become my best advocate. We talk every day. Our finances are still interwoven. We're best friends. With the children, we were just honest. If there's one thing people respect, it's complete honesty.

AOL Health: Since you haven't gotten a divorce, do you refer to her as your wife?

Bowers: I don't use the "w" word, I call her my spouse.

AOL Health: Do you date men or women?

Bowers: Since my transition, I mostly dated men, but as it turns out I fell in love with someone shortly after I was here. And it turns out she was a woman. After six years, we’ve separated, so I’m with another woman who is younger and wants to start a family. I don’t know. It can’t be any more interesting than what I’ve had happen.

Next: More about Marci Bowers, M.D., and the difference between gender and sex.