Baty's career encompassed teaching positions at several prominent universities and a prolific output of writings on international law.

Under the name Irene Clyde, Baty published Beatrice the Sixteenth, a feminist utopian novel set in a genderless society, founded the short-lived Aëthnic Union, and co-founded the journal Urania to challenge binary gender categories.

During a tenure in Japan, Baty developed a legal philosophy that emphasized effective control over territory as the primary criterion for state recognition, a perspective used to justify Japanese expansionist policies.

This Victorian ideal depicted a nurturing sanctuary dominated by female virtue, fostering spiritual and emotional well-being.

[4] Baty attended Carlisle Grammar School[5] and excelled as a gifted student, earning a scholarship to study at The Queen's College, Oxford.

[3]: 36–37  In 1916, Clyde, along with Esther Roper, Eva Gore-Booth, Dorothy Cornish, and Jessey Wade—fellow members of the Union—launched Urania, a privately circulated journal.

[13] In 1934, Clyde published Eve's Sour Apples, a collection of essays criticising gender distinctions and heterosexual marriage.

The book envisioned a future where all forms of traditionally masculine behaviour were eradicated and offered guidance on how someone assigned male at birth could adopt a more feminine gender presentation.

[6] Baty served as the honorary general secretary of the International Law Association from 1905 to 1916 and acted as junior counsel on the Zamora case.

As one of the original members of that society, Baty became acquainted with Isaburo Yoshida, Second Secretary of the Embassy of Japan in London and an international law scholar from the graduate school of the Tokyo Imperial University.

[16] Following the Japanese invasion of Manchuria in 1932 and the establishment of Manchukuo, Baty defended Japan's position in the League of Nations and advocated for the new state's membership.

[16] In addition, Baty donated 1,000 yen five times, a substantial sum for the time, to aid the families of fallen Japanese soldiers describing such actions as humanitarian, aimed at easing the grief of mothers, and arguing the war was avoidable if the League of Nations had accepted Baty's views and Japan's position.

[17] In July 1941, the Japanese government froze the assets of foreigners residing in Japan or its colonial possessions as a retaliatory measure against similar actions taken by the United States.

Baty continued working for the Japanese government throughout the war and defended Japan's policy of conquest as a response to Western imperialism in Asia.

I could not bear to be relegated to the ranks of rough and stern men.In an autobiographical sketch in Alone in Japan, Baty reflected: "From earliest days, adored Beauty and Sweetness; considered ladies had both, as well as Persistence and Tenacity.

[3]: 21–22  Friends observed Baty's reserved nature, gentle demeanour, and traditionally feminine traits, such as speaking in the women's style of Japanese and fastening garments from right to left.

[4] Hugh Keenleyside, a Canadian diplomat in Japan, described Baty as a "transvestite", who occasionally entertained guests while dressed in a gown.

[23] Friends also witnessed a transition from Thomas Baty to Irene Clyde, noting that one identity gradually faded as the other emerged:[3]: 21–22 When he extended his hand in greeting his sombre eyes lit up, his withdrawn expression melted away.

Dr Baty, Chief Legal Advisor to the Foreign Office of Japan, disappeared and in his place stood Irene Clyde, a gentle, kindly, witty, and intelligent elderly lady.Baty has been described variously by contemporary scholars as non-binary,[24][25] genderfluid,[3]: 21–22 [25] transgender,[11][12][25] or a trans woman.

[25] Alison Oram argues that Baty's desire "to be a lady" challenges efforts by some theorists and historians to trace a continuous transgender identity through history.

While there are similarities to late twentieth-century transgender politics, Baty's self-perception was shaped by a specific historical context, differing significantly from identities influenced by later advancements in medical transition.

[29] Influenced by the writings of Thomas Carlyle, Baty came to perceive the unity of all religions and disregarded the specific historical contexts of Hebrew and Christian traditions.

Some evidence suggests that Baty was disillusioned with Victorian sexual norms and disgusted by the then accepted notions of male domination over women.

Although the story is set in Hakone instead of Nikkō, where Baty resided, it portrays a tale of a difficult life in a foreign land after the war.

[33] In 1993, scholars Daphne Patai and Angela Ingram uncovered that starting in 1909, Baty had been writing about feminism and gender using the name Irene Clyde.