March 24, 2003 From: Jennifer Jane Leitham I'm not a television critic. In fact I watch very little TV anymore. When in hotel rooms my set is usually tuned to the Weather Channel. When I was deciding whether or not to have Dr. Gary Alter perform my SRS, I was offered an opportunity to take part in a documentary for The Learning Channel(TLC). I entered into the production expecting to finally get a factual, accurate telling of what it was like for a person in my position. I met the production team and was very impressed, they are highly skilled and I truly believed that their hearts were(and still are), in the right place. We started filming about 6 weeks before the big day. They were with me in L.A., at the Elkhart Jazz Festival in Indiana, my surgery at Century City Hospital, and filmed me post-op back here in L.A.. I've seen an almost-final cut of the show. Having done some film and TV work before, I fully expected to have a lot of what was filmed end up on the cutting-room floor. I was right about that. I consider the folks who produced the show my friends and they are aware of my opinions. I understand network pressures, etc. It's not easy getting a show like this on the air in the first place. I applaud the effort. There are however, some basic disagreements that I have regarding the title and some of the content. The title of the show "Sexchange" does a disservice to people like myself who feel that they have undergone a sexual "correction". One doesn't suddenly change from one sex to the other, the feeling is pervasive from birth that you ARE the "other" and the surgery only corrects that fact. There is nothing cosmetic or elective involved in sexual reassignment. By spending so much time in showing people undergoing facial feminization and breast augmentation the documentary seems to bolster the argument of insurance companies, governmental bodies, and court system that SRS is elective and cosmetic. Any "normal", healthy woman or man can undergo the latter procedures to improve their appearance without undergoing a "sexchange". Breast augmentation is especially dicey for people who are just beginning hormone replacement therapy. My doctor has told me that my breasts will continue to grow for as long as 5 years. If (as happens in the show), someone undergoes an operation to become a "D" cup in the first year they're going to be in for quite a shock down the road. I have never felt the need to undergo any procedures other than SRS. I'm very pleased with my budding breasts and crooked nose and have no intentions of changing them. However, even with the trepidations that I've laid out, I'm still proud of the fact that more truths are contained in this production than any others that I've seen. I'm especially pleased that my counselor at the L.A. Gender Center, Marie Keller, was given ample time to get her points across. The filming of the study done at the Brain Institute in Amsterdam is very encouraging as well. In my portion of the show the producers have been very positive in their descriptions of me and were extremely judicious in their use of cameras in sensitive situations. We shared some very intense, usually private experiences and I'm glad they were there. It was as though family was with me through it all. I wish that my postoperative experiences would have been considered worthy of covering. It seems the real story has been missed. Maybe a sequel? How about "Sexchange-The Revenge" or "Sexchange-Way Two Normal!" Sorry about that! The first airing is set for March 24 at 10pm est. Check your local listings. Jennifer