Pioneering Trans Psychiatrist Dr. Jeanne Hoff Dies at 85

Dr. Hoff's obituary noted that although she had, at the time of her transition, "taken over the practice of Dr. Harry Benjamin, a German-born endocrinologist who has often been described as the father of transgender care in the United States... in the history of that care, Dr. Hoff is not well known, if she is known at all."

Late in her career, after moving to Oakland, Dr. Hoff worked with "the formerly incarcerated through a program with the California Department of Corrections," the Times detailed. "Her last job was at San Quentin, where she treated prisoners on death row. She retired in 1999, after a prisoner attacked her."

Speaking about that attack, Lucas told the newspaper, "She did not recover well from that trauma. She said she couldn't get mad, which would allow her to heal, because he was a patient."

Added Lucas: "She would joke about it, 'I thought it was going to happen today, but it only lasted a few seconds.' She was enormously compassionate."

The Times noted that Dr. Hoff had no living family at the time of her death, and though she had been in a relationship at the time of her transition, that relationship ended.

In the documentary, Dr. Hoff expressed a pragmatic view on the subject of love and marriage, telling Redgrave, "The marriage market for middle-aged spinsters is not a bull market."

Added Dr. Hoff: "I'm not going to die of grief if it doesn't happen to me. I have an interesting occupation. I have a full life with friends who are affectionate and caring."

Perhaps most importantly, having transitioned meant that her life was "very much better than life was before."