The British Journal of Psychiatry 131: 405-409 (1977)
© 1977 The Royal College of Psychiatrists
Male transsexualism in Singapore: a description of 56 cases
WF Tsoi, LP Kok and FY Long
A psychiatric investigation on 56 cases of male transsexuals in Singapore
revealed a prevalence of I in 25,000. Eighty-two per cent were prostitutes
and 83 per cent had completed secondary education. All were unmarried, and
35 per cent were co-habiting with men. Fifty-eight per cent had felt they
were females before the age of 5, 65 per cent cross-dressed before the age
of 10, and by the age of 20, 57 per cent were completely cross-dressed of
whom 73 per cent were receiving female sex hormones. Their mean IQ was 105.
Thirty-two (58 per cent) underwent sexual reassignment surgery. There was
no report of psychiatric complications. It was concluded that
transsexualism as described by different authors may not refer to the same
condition. Aetiologically, these cases did not appear to be determined by
early childhood experience.
