The Last Time I Wore A Dress

"Mr. Bowen. Is it true that they used to put gay people in mental institutions?" "We," I quietly correct her. "What?" "It's our society. So, it's we." She thinks on that for a moment, then gets back to her question. "Well, is it really true?" "I'm pretty sure. At least, I've heard that before." "When did they stop?" We google a couple of phrases and stumble on Scholinski's poignant memoir. "The eighties," I finally say. It looks like we stopped sometime in the eighties. "Oh...so it was a while ago," she says, seeming satisfied with my answer. Sometime in the eighties. For a thirteen-year-old, that was a while ago. It gives her some cushion. Puts some distance between her generation and a great travesty of justice. And ethics. And decency. But for a forty-year-old man, it's not the case. The eighties are still pretty vivid. As an NYU grad from the late eighties, all I can think about are some of my young, gay friends that came to the village as more than just students. Refugees, really. Terribly misunderstood refugees looking for some asylum. Scholinski's memoir is an excellent look at such pathetic attempts at therapy such as having the author gain points and privileges for wearing make-up and dresses. Daphne's writing style is easy and conversational and makes a tough subject a very easy read. It was never a book I intended to read, but I'm grateful for having stumbled onto it. Simply put, "The Last Time I Wore A Dress," is a satisfying memoir.Chris BowenAuthor of  Our Kids: Building Relationships in the Classroom

I read this book during a women's literature class in college. It was really well written and I loved the perspective it gave. I would definitely read it again.

She made me cry. ...Amazon won't let me cuss, but... "forget" you, Daphne. And bless you. And keep you. And thank you for the tremendous gift of this book. And to anyone considering this for a read: do it. You will be a better human....Not that you are a bad human. But you will simply be a better one.

Recently optioned for a feature film, this fascinating memoir is much more than the story of a journey through the mental health system but deals with the confusing time of adolescence, parental challenges, love, fear and so much more. Very timely; let's hope that today's world is growing more understanding. Only time will tell.

I heard this author speak a number of years ago at a festival called Estrofest. I remembered this book recently after talking about how gender, especially non-binary genders and trans folks, are treated within healthcare. I highly recommend this book to the many trans folks who have been told there is something wrong with them for being who they are.

My wife bought this to use for a book review in her lgbtq policy program. She really liked the book and said it’s a good read.

I was required to read this book for a Gender Sociology class, and I have to say that Daphne Scholinski (now Dylan Scholinki)'s account of her past is highly informative for anyone interested in learning about how we construct gender.

This was an assigned reading in a class and while the theme was not what I would usually choose for a novel, the experiences of Daphne challenged my own thinking and created a new understanding of medicalization and social norms.

I bought this as a second hand book and believe me it had been WELL used. There had been a lot of highlighting through the text with a highlighter pen, think it was for a project or something so it was seriously off putting. However the text was great, brilliant, well written book. I will buy this from new as I want to read it again!

Interesting reading.