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Inventing the gender swap. The extraordinary stories of the first sex-change operations.

Watch Sex Changes That Made History on BBC Select

Surgical gender reassignment is now a near-commonplace procedure. But when this ‘science-fiction surgery’ arrived in the 1940s, it was a sensation.

This sex-change documentary looks at the extraordinary stories of its pioneers: the world’s first woman to become a man, the ex-Spitfire pilot who became Britain’s first man to become a woman – and the daring plastic surgeon who carried out their operations.

Watch Sex Changes That Made History and more acclaimed documentaries on BBC Select today. Restrictions apply*.

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Sexuality & Gender

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What does Bacchus, the ancient god of wine and excess, have in common with Jesus Christ?

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Forget everything you thought you knew about the frequently nude, love goddess Venus.

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    Get it on Apple TV
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