British Scandal April Ashley | The Secret That Could Have Saved April | 4
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Sep 10, 2025 Zoe Playdon, an Emeritus Professor specializing in medical humanities and a strong advocate for LGBTQ+ rights, joins to shed light on a little-known yet pivotal trans rights case from the 1960s. She discusses how the secrecy surrounding this case overshadowed April Ashley's legal battles, impacting trans rights significantly. Playdon connects historical injustices to contemporary challenges, emphasizing the urgent need for inclusive representation in law. The podcast contrasts this past with current media portrayals and legal definitions of gender, revealing ongoing struggles.
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Corbett Created A Super-Precedent
- Corbett v Corbett became a global super-precedent that stripped trans people of many civil rights beyond marriage.
- April Ashley's case blocked birth-certificate corrections and led to medical, social, and legal harms worldwide.
Medical Reclassification Drove Harm
- Medical and psychiatric reclassification in the 1960s reframed trans people as mentally ill rather than intersex.
- This shift enabled coercive treatments and provided damaging expert testimony in legal cases like April's.
The Hidden Forbes Case
- Zoe Playdon uncovered a hidden Scottish case about Ewan Forbes that had been sealed and sworn to secrecy.
- Forbes won a legal challenge to inherit a baronetcy, but the verdict was suppressed due to perceived national interests.
