Esben Esther Pirelli Benestad (born 3 May 1949) is a Norwegian physician and

sexologist Sexology is the scientific study of human sexuality, including human sexual interests, behaviors, and functions. The term ''sexology'' does not generally refer to the non-scientific study of sexuality, such as social criticism. Sexologists a ...

who is also known as one of

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and t ...

's most prominent

trans Trans- is a Latin prefix meaning "across", "beyond", or "on the other side of". Used alone, trans may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Trans (festival), a former festival in Belfast, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom * ''Trans'' (fil ...

people. Esben Esther Pirelli Benestad was originally known as just Esben Benestad, but often publishes work in the name which includes their alias ''Esther Pirelli'', the name which is often used by the media. Even though the

Justice Department A justice ministry, ministry of justice, or department of justice is a ministry or other government agency in charge of the administration of justice. The ministry or department is often headed by a minister of justice (minister for justice in a ...

originally refused to issue supplementary identity documents in the name of Benestad's desired name, the local police eventually issued some unofficial documents. Benestad is married to sexologist Elsa Almås and is the parent of the film director

Even Benestad Even Benestad (born 16 September 1974 in Grimstad, Norway) is a Norwegian documentary film director. Benestad studied cinematography Cinematography (from ancient Greek κίνημα, ''kìnema'' "movement" and γράφειν, ''gràphein'' "t ...

. Even Benestad made the documentary '' Alt om min far'' about his parent. In 2007, they took part in the reality TV series ''

Skal vi danse ''Skal vi danse'' is the Norwegian edition of the British television series, ''Strictly Come Dancing''. It is produced by Monster Entertainment and broadcast on TV 2 (Norway), TV 2 Jon Peder Olrud and Geir Bie were producers in the first season. ...

'' and was voted out after four episodes. They told the talk show '' God kveld, Norge!'' that they were sometimes bullied by the judges because they criticised their

identity while dancing. Benestad has been a minor political candidate for the

Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. __TOC__ Active liberal parties This is a li ...

Bibliography

* ''Sexologi i praksis'', with Elsa Almås (1997, revised 2006) * ''Kjønn i bevegelse'', with Elsa Almås (2001) * ''Transseksualisme - hvor går vi og hvor står vi?'' (2002) * ''Transekjønn og diagnoser'' (2004) * ''Penisatlas'' (2005)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Benestad, Esben Esther Pirelli 1949 births Norwegian LGBT writers Living people People from Grimstad Norwegian non-fiction writers Norwegian sexologists Transgender writers