Here in the UK the first famous trans was Roberta (Robert) Cowell who had been a WW2 Pilot and Racing Driver. in 1951. The surgeon involved was Michael Dillon, who had been a woman and was operated on in 1946. By a Surgeon who was well known for his work on "intersexed" children and individuals and surgery on soldiers whose injuries included damage to genitals. Dillon wrote a book "self" in the late 40s about what became known as transexuals. Needless to say the book was just the sort to excite interest! The more so when adventurer journalist and travel writer James Morris became Jan in "64 . Because he/she was married he was refused "the operation" and famously went to Morocco in '72. The publicity and debate being at the time of secondary school(junior and high school i think) it was of intense interest. It was at this time I learned of the Chevalier D'Eon.