He describes the dramatic results of his speciality as “…the most exciting surgery I can conceive of”, and when San Francisco plastic surgeon Doug Ousterhout brought his “before and after” photographs to present to the Transgender 2007 conference in Norwich recently it was easy to see why. Facial Feminisation Surgery – the technique Doug has pioneered for two decades may not be necessary for many trans people to transition successfully. A few would strongly argue that it’s more important for society to change – and to adapt to the reality of some trans women having strongly masculine faces. The same people might argue that babies with congenital deformities should not be operated upon either. Whilst we fix the world, however, there’s no denying that a trans woman who passes well will have a very different life experience from one who doesn’t. Whilst he was a guest at the University of East Anglia, Doug was interviewed by BBC Norfolk reporter Jenny Kumah, who agreed to Christine Burns eavesdropping with her own microphone.
