After 13 years as coeditor and 6 years as editor-in-chief of the International Journal of Transgenderism (IJT), I am passing the torch to my friend and colleague in the field, Dr. Walter Bouman, effective July 1, 2016. I want to thank you, the readers, for your support of the journal over the years and invite you to work with Dr. Bouman to take the journal to the next level, securing its future as the premier scientific publication on transgender health.
IJT was founded in 1997 by Drs. Friedemann Pfäfflin and Eli Coleman, esteemed mentors in the field. Published by Symposion, IJT initially was an electronic, open-access journal (available online via the website of the World Professional Association for Transgender Health, wpath.org). The founding editors envisioned a journal that was interdisciplinary, offering perspectives from psychology, medicine, sociology, anthropology, history, and gender studies. They chose “transgenderism” as part of the journal's name to reflect its broad focus on the entire spectrum of gender identities and expression, acknowledging that terms like transsexualism, gender dysphoria, transvestism, and cross-dressing were too limiting and pathologizing. At that time, transgender was “a new term that transcends the restricting and extant categories of gender identity, more neutral regarding etiology, and encompassing the vast complexity of gender manifestations and identities” (from the Introduction of the original electronic journal). It was their hope that this term would stimulate new ways of thinking and understanding various aspects of the phenomenon. Since then, we have come a long way in this respect, with language continuing to evolve to include such terms as gender nonconforming, genderqueer, nonbinary, and, simply, trans. They also named the journal “international” to stimulate an intercultural exchange, recognizing that much of the work is influenced by our sociocultural and political lens. Bias toward European and North American perspectives remains today; IJT has an important role to play by including perspectives from other parts of the world to achieve a better understanding of gender diversity around the globe.
The first issue of IJT was published in conjunction with the 1997 Symposium of the Harry Benjamin International Gender Dysphoria Association held in Vancouver, Canada. Now the World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH), IJT has always had a close relationship with this professional member organization dedicated to promoting research, education, training, and policy development in transgender health. In 1999, IJT became this association's official journal. In 2005, the journal changed its format by appearing in both print and electronic version (published by the Haworth Press), necessitating subscription (as opposed to open access); for WPATH members, access to the journal became a membership benefit. In 2009, Taylor and Francis became IJT’s publisher. The partnership between IJT, Taylor and Francis, and WPATH has been instrumental to the growth of the journal's reach; as outgoing editor-in-chief, I want to thank these partners and the individuals that have supported the journal throughout the years, especially Bill Cohen (Haworth Press); Sean Beppler, Hannah Heckner, and Rachel Smitley (Taylor and Francis); and Bean Robinson, Jeff Whitman, and Andrea Martin (WPATH).
In 2000, Richard Ekins and Dave King joined the team of editors. After the founding editors completed their tenure, Drs. Ekins and King took a leadership role in editing the journal until 2010. Highlights during this time included special issues on Virginia Prince (2008), transgender health and HIV prevention (2005), and guidelines for transgender care (2006). In 2011, IJT published a major revision of WPATH's Standards of Care for the Health of Transsexual, Transgender, and Gender Nonconforming People under the leadership of Eli Coleman. Editing a peer-reviewed scientific journal is a labor of love, and I want to thank all of the previous editors (Friedemann Pfäfflin, Eli Coleman, Richard Ekins, Dave King), associate editors (Adele Marais, Don Operario, Guy T'Sjoen, and Bernadette Wren), and managing editors (Brunhild Kring, Sharon Lund, Noelle Gray, Jeff Whitman, Andrea Martin, and Cindy Combs) for their service. I also want to thank the members of the Editorial Board, ad hoc reviewers, and—last but not least—the many contributors who chose IJT to publish their work.
We are currently experiencing a sea change in transgender health and rights. Visibility of transgender and gender nonconforming people has increased; the number of scientific publications has exponentially grown; health disparities are being documented; access to care is improving; and a new generation of students and faculty, clinical scholars, community leaders and policy makers are focusing in increasing numbers on the issues facing gender minority populations. Once the only journal entirely devoted to disseminating scholarship in transgender identity, sexuality, and health, IJT is joined today by several journals dedicated to this topic area (e.g., Transgender Studies Quarterly, Transgender Health, Journal of Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity, LGBT Health). Moreover, many other established journals eagerly publish research on transgender health (e.g., Journal of Sex Research, Archives of Sexual Behavior, Journal of Sexual Medicine, American Journal of Public Health, Journal of Adolescent Health, Lancet). Although we have come a long way, much work remains to be done to advance our understanding of gender diversity and to provide the evidence base for care and policies to improve the quality of life of transgender and gender nonconforming individuals and their families. While I wholeheartedly welcome the “mainstreaming” of transgender content throughout the scientific literature, I believe that transgender-specific journals have an important role to play in stimulating in-depth exploration of new aspects of the transgender experience, interdisciplinary collaboration and exchange, and dissemination of international perspectives. IJT is well positioned to fulfill this role.
So I leave the journal in the capable hands of Dr. Walter Bouman. A fellow native of the Netherlands, Walter has a long-standing commitment to the health and well-being of transgender and gender nonconforming people. He is a leader in transgender care in the United Kingdom as clinical director of the Nottingham National Centre for Gender Dysphoria. Earlier this year, he was elected treasurer and member of the Board of Directors of the World Professional Association for Transgender Health. Dr. Bouman brings extensive experience as an editor and an author to IJT. He is passionate about the work and compassionate toward the people we serve. He knows how to get things done. IJT has made significant contributions, but there is much room for improvement and growth. I feel confident that, with your support and active participation, Dr. Bouman will lead the way into a bright future for transgender scholarship and research.