Harry Benjamin (1885-1986) was a German-born psychologist. He is best known for his pioneering work with transsexualism.
He was born in Berlin, and was in the United States when the First World War broke out in 1914. He was then sent to an internment camp, as an 'enemy alien ', until he agreed not to leave the country.
He started his private medical practice in New York in 1915, and came to settle there, although he would engage in trips abroad. He became interested in hormones, and was later acquainted with a patient of Alfred Kinsey's, who insisted that they were female, despite being born male.
His 1966 book, The Transsexual Phenomenon, brought the issue into the mainstream, and led to a great many people coming forward.
Apart from his gender work, he was a gerontologist and worked on life extension.
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