Daphne herself keeps in touch with the thirty year old man with whom she had a "relationship" before her hospitalization so she can tell her therapist she is with a man.
Furthermore when Daphne is raped by a male resident of the third facility, she believes she cannot confide in the staff:
"I thought if I told my therapist what had happened, she'd want to know exactly why didn't you want to sleep with Luke, a fine, handsome boy..."
Finally, the book emphasizes how one person really can make a difference, as Daphne clings to the words of the one student counselor who tells her she is "sane" and "normal."
Conclusion
The events in The Last Time I Wore a Dress sound like they should have happened ages ago, at Bedlam hospital, perhaps, or in one of the 1950s "snake pits." The fact that they happened less than twenty years ago adds a razor edge to this book. The fact that teenagers and young adults are still being hospitalized and treated for "gender identity disorder" makes it downright terrifying.
I would highly recommend The Last Time I Wore a Dress to anyone concerned about the well-being of LBGT teens. Make no mistake, however, reading this book is a grueling experience. I would advise readers to be aware of their own issues before picking it up. If you believe the book may be triggering for you, either give it a pass for now or make sure you have excellent support while you're reading it.
Scholinski, Daphne & Adams, Jane Meredith (1997). The Last Time I Wore a Dress.. Riverhead Books: New York.
Note: This article was originally published under the title "Book Details Psychiatric Abuse of Lesbian Teen." A reader notified me that Daphne actually identifies more as transsexual and asked if I would change the title to "queer teen," which I was glad to do. My apologies for any confusion.
