Transgender sexuality

Transgender sexuality is the sexuality of transgender people.

Historically, studies assumed that transgender sexuality might be distinct from traditional human sexuality. For much of the 20th century, what was described as "transsexualism" was believed to be sexual in nature,[1][2] and so was defined along these terms.[3][4][5]

In fact, like all other genders, transgender people exhibit the full range of possible sexual orientations and interests,[6] including the potential for a lack of sexual attraction.[7]

Sexual orientation labels

Historically, clinicians labeled trans people as heterosexual or homosexual relative to their sex assigned at birth.[8] Most transgender people find this offensive, and prefer to define their sexual orientation relative to their gender identity.[9] For example, a transgender lesbian is a woman who is simultaneously a trans woman (a woman assigned male at birth) and a lesbian (a woman who is attracted to other women).[10][11]

To avoid confusion, particularly with non-binary gender, the terms "gynesexual" and "androsexual" are sometimes used to describe attraction to women and men, respectively.

Sexual orientation distribution

Transgender respondents to a 2015 survey self identified as queer (21%), pansexual (18%), gay, lesbian, or same-gender-loving (16%), straight (15%), bisexual (14%), and asexual (10%).[12]

Transgender women

A survey of roughly 3000 trans women showed that at least 60% were attracted to women.[13] Of the trans women respondents 27% answered gay, lesbian, or same-gender-loving, 20% answered bisexual, 19% straight, 16% pansexual, 6% answered asexual, 6% queer, and 6% did not answer.[12]

Trans-feminine mixed gender roles

R. Green compares two-spirit people, hijra, mukhannathun, and kathoey, all of which are people assigned male at birth who have adopted a more feminine gender role.[14] They have in common early effeminacy, adulthood femininity, and attraction to masculine males.[15] Green argues that the members of these groups are mentally indistinguishable from modern western transsexual women.[14]

The exact cultural role of two-spirit people varied from tribe to tribe, but in all cases Green writes about they are oriented towards men.[14]

The Hijra of the Indian Subcontinent are people who were assigned male at birth but occupy a female sexual and/or gender role, sometimes undergoing castration.[16] As adults they occupy a female role, but traditionally Hijra describe themselves as neither male nor female, preferring Hijra as their gender.[16] They often express their femininity in youth; as adults they are usually sexually oriented towards masculine men.[16]

Mukhannathun were transgender individuals of the Muslim faith and Arab extraction who were present in Medina and Mecca during and after the time of Muhammad.[17] Ibn Abd Al-Barh Al-Tabaeen, a companion of Aisha Umm ul-Mu'min'in who knew the same mukhannath as Mohammed, stated that "If he is like this, he would have no desire for women and he would not notice anything about them. This is one of those who have no interest in women who were permitted to enter upon women."[18] That said, one of the Mukhannath of Medina during Muhammad's time had married a woman.[17]

Travesti are Brazilian trans women who are attracted to men.[19] Travestis' feminine identity includes hormones and/or silicone body alterations, feminine dress, language, and social and sexual roles, but rarely genital surgery.[19] However, in contrast to North American transgender women, they often don't see themselves as real women, and many describe themselves as gay or homosexual.[19] According to Don Kulick, they will describe themselves instead as "feeling like a woman".[19] In his book Travesti: Sex, Gender and Culture among Brazilian Transgendered Prostitutes, he writes that no travesti in Salvador ever claims to be mulher (a woman) except as a joke, and travestis reading or hearing about transgender people who say they feel like women regard them as disturbed.[20]

Transgender men

By the mid-1990s, the range of gender identities and sexual orientations among trans men were well-established,[21] with the majority of trans men attracted primarily or exclusively to women.[22][23][24][25]

Foerster reported a 15-year successful relationship between a woman and a trans man who transitioned in the late 1960s.[26][27]

In the 20th century, trans men attracted to women struggled to demonstrate the existence and legitimacy of their identity.[28] Many trans men attracted to women, such as jazz musician Billy Tipton, kept their trans status private until their deaths.

Author Henry Rubin wrote that "[i]t took the substantial efforts of Lou Sullivan, a gay FTM activist who insisted that female-to-male transgender people could be attracted to men."[28] Matt Kailey, author of Just Add Hormones: An Insider’s Guide to the Transsexual Experience,[29] recounts his transition "from 40-something straight woman to the gay man he’d always known himself to be."[30] Researchers eventually acknowledged the existence of this phenomenon, and by the end of the 20th century, psychiatrist Ira Pauly wrote, "The statement that all female-to-male transgender are homosexual [Pauly means attracted to women] in their sexual preference can no longer be made."[24] Gay trans men have varying levels of acceptance within other communities.[31] Upon beginning testosterone treatments, some trans men report an increase in both their libido and their desire for sex with non-trans men.[32]

Sexual practices

Tobi Hill-Meyer, self-described 'Queer Trans Multiracial Sex-Positive Activist Writer and Porn Maker', is making a documentary called Doing it Again: In Depth about transgender people's sexualities. As of December 17, Volume 1: Playful Awakenings has been released.[33] This volume interviews couples where both people are transgender. Cultural studies scholar J.R. Latham wrote the first definitive analysis of trans men's sexual practices in the journal Sexualities.[34]

Sexual orientation and transitioning

Some trans people maintain a consistent orientation throughout their lives,[35][36] in some cases remaining with the same partner through transition.[37] In other cases, their choices in sexual partners may change after transition.[38]

Classifying transsexual people by sexual orientation

Sexologist Magnus Hirschfeld first suggested a distinction based on sexual orientation in 1923.[39] A number of two-type taxonomies based on sexuality have subsequently been proposed by clinicians, though some clinicians believe that other factors are more clinically useful categories, or that two types are insufficient.[40] Some researchers have distinguished trans men attracted to women and trans men attracted to men.[41][42]

The Benjamin Scale proposed by endocrinologist Harry Benjamin in 1966 used sexual orientation as one of several factors to distinguish between "transvestites", "non-surgical" transsexuals, and "true transsexuals".[43]

In 1974, Person and Ovesey proposed dividing transsexual women into "primary" and "secondary" transsexuals. They defined "primary transsexuals" as asexual persons with little or no interest in partnered sexual activity and with no history of sexual arousal to cross-dressing or "cross-gender fantasy".[3] They defined both homosexual and "transvestic" trans people to be "secondary transsexuals".[4] Later uses of this terminology often defined "primary transsexualism" as attracted to males, and "secondary transsexualism" as attracted to females.

In the DSM-III-R, released in 1987, "transsexualism" was divided into "homosexual" and "heterosexual" subtypes.[5]

A 5 type sexual orientation scale has never been proposed and that should be viewed as problematic especially with the adoption of the transgender umbrella and its LGBT attachment. Dr Norman Fisk [44] noted those entering his clinic seeking reassignment surgery comprised a larger group than fit into the classical transsexual diagnosis. The article notes that effeminate gay men and heterosexual fetishistic transvestites desire surgery and could be considered good candidates for it. He believed they could successfully integrate after surgery. This points to problems with trans sexuality research, which only recognizes two groups. This indicates there are two groups for sexual attraction to men in Transsexual women. One from a homosexual perspective and one that should either match or be similar to that of a heterosexual woman. There would also be two types for transsexual men. A fifth group would exhibit extremely fetishistic behavior and be bisexual only while cross dressed before transition or exclusively heterosexual. This means of the five groups only three would be potentially totally comfortable with placement within the gay community and for one group each from the male and female side it would be conversion therapy.

Transvestic fetishism

The DSM once had a diagnosis of "transvestic fetishism".[1] Some therapists and activists sought to de-pathologize this category in future revisions.[45] DSM 5, which was released in 2013, replaced the transvestic fetishism category with "transvestic disorder".[46]

Following the example of the Benjamin Scale, in 1979 Buhrich and McConaghy proposed three clinically discrete categories of fetishistic transvestism: "nuclear" transvestites who were satisfied with cross-dressing, "marginal" transvestites who also desired feminization by hormones or surgical intervention, and "fetishistic transsexuals", who had shown fetishistic arousal but who identified as transsexuals and sought sex reassignment surgery.[2]

Cultural status

Sexual behavior and gender roles vary by culture, which has an effect on the place of gender variant people in that culture. In most cultures, trans people are stigmatized, and sexual activity involving transgender people is considered shameful, especially in cultures with rigid sex roles or strictures against non-heterosexual sex.

In African-American and Latino cultures, a distinction is sometimes made between active and passive sexual activity, where the passive or receiving partner is not considered masculine or straight, but the active partner is.[47]

Some observers question the racist assumptions behind clinical literature on transgender sexuality in various ethnic groups.

Some Asian countries, notably Thailand, have a more socially tolerant view of transgender sexuality.

Sex work

In many cultures, transgender people (especially trans women) are frequently involved in sex work such as transsexual pornography. This is correlated with employment discrimination. In the National Trans Discrimination Survey, 11% of respondents reported having done sex work for income, compared to 1% of cisgender women in the US.[48] According to the same survey, 13% of transgender Americans are unemployed, almost double the national average.[49] 26% had lost their jobs due to their gender identity/expression. Transgender sex workers have high rates of HIV. In a review of studies on HIV prevalence in trans women working in the sex industry, over 27% were HIV positive. However, the review found that trans women engaged in sex work were not more likely than trans women not engaged in sex work to be HIV positive.[50] Studies have found that in the United States HIV is especially prevalent amongst transgender sex workers of color, particularly black trans women, a problem that has been identified by academics[51] and members of the transgender community.

The subject of transgender sex workers has attracted attention in the media. Paris Lees, a British trans woman and journalist, wrote an article in June 2012 for the Independent defending criticism of Ria, star of Channel 4 documentary Ria: Teen Transsexual, who was seventeen at the time and depicted as working as a prostitute at a massage parlor, saying that the choice to engage in sex work is a matter of bodily autonomy and pointing out reasons that young trans women often turn to sex work such as low self-esteem and severe employment discrimination.[52] A review by GLAAD of its archives of transgender-inclusive television episodes from 2002 to 2012 found that 20% of transgender characters were depicted as sex workers.[53]

Some trans men in the sex work industry are gay for pay. Porn actor Buck Angel frequently does scenes with males, but he was married to women (Karin Winslow and later Elayne Angel).[54]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 American Psychological Association (APA)(2000)" Gender Identity Disorder in DSM IV TR.
  2. 1 2 Buhrish N, McConaghy N (1979). Three clinically discrete categories of fetishistic transvestism..Archives of Sexual Behavior Volume 8, Number 2 / March, 1979.
  3. 1 2 Person, E; Ovesey, L (1974). "The transsexual syndrome in males. I. Primary transsexualism". American Journal of Psychotherapy. 28 (1): 4–20. PMID 4812111.
  4. 1 2 Person, E; Ovesey, L (1974b). "The transsexual syndrome in males. II. Secondary transsexualism". American Journal of Psychotherapy. 28 (2): 174–193. PMID 4829699.
  5. 1 2 Wahng SJ (2004). Double Cross: Transamasculinity Asian American Gendering in Trappings of Transhood. in Aldama AJ (ed.) Violence and the Body: Race, Gender, and the State. Indiana University Press. ISBN 0-253-34171-X "Thus the institutionalized recognition of the queer-identified, or homosexual, transsexual, is historically groundbreaking. Rosario scrutinized how transgenderism has been described in relation to homosexuality and heterosexuality in both the revised third edition and the fourth edition of the [DSM]. In the DSM-III-R, the classification of "transsexualism" was divided into "homosexual" and "heterosexual" subtypes. However, sexual orientation was based on one's birth sex, so that an FTM who was attracted to women would be deemed a female homosexual transsexual, whereas an FTM attracted to men would be considered a female heterosexual transsexual. These diagnoses were especially confusing since a female homosexual transsexual – that is, an FTM who desires women – would actually identify himself as a heterosexual trans man. And an FTM who desires men, a female heterosexual transsexual, would self-identify as either a gay man or a queer-identified FTM."
  6. ↑ Tobin HJ (2003). Sexuality in Transsexual and Transgender Individuals Part I: A Review of the Literature.
  7. ↑ Devor H (1997). FTM: Female-to-Male Transsexuals in Society. Bloomington: Indiana University Press. ISBN 0-253-21259-6
  8. ↑ Chivers, Meredith L.; Bailey, J. Michael. Sexual Orientation of Female-to-Male Transsexuals: A Comparison of Homosexual and Nonhomosexual Types. Archives of Sexual Behavior
  9. ↑ Bagemihl B. Surrogate phonology and transsexual faggotry: A linguistic analogy for uncoupling sexual orientation from gender identity. In Queerly Phrased: Language, Gender, and Sexuality. Anna Livia, Kira Hall (eds.) pp. 380 ff. Oxford University Press ISBN 0-19-510471-4
  10. ↑ "Transgender FAQ". 8 November 2013.
  11. ↑ "Gates, Garry, the Williams Institute - How many people are Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender?" (PDF).
  12. 1 2 James, S. E., Herman, J. L., Rankin, S., Keisling, M., Mottet, L., & Anafi, M. (2016). "The Report of the 2015 U.S. Transgender Survey" (PDF). National Center for Transgender Equality.
  13. ↑ "Injustice at Every Turn: A Report of the National Transgender Discrimination Survey" (PDF). National Center for Transgender Equality & National Gay and Lesbian Task Force. p. 29.
  14. 1 2 3 Green R (1966) Transsexualism: Mythological, Historical, and Cross-Cultural Aspects. Archived 2012-10-23 at the Wayback Machine. in Benjamin H, The Transsexual Phenomenon. Julian Press ASIN B0007HXA76
  15. ↑ Barrett, Jackson (2007). Transsexual and Other Disorders of Gender Identity: A Practical Guide to Management. Google books: Radcliffe Publishing. p. 298. ISBN 1-85775-719-X.
  16. 1 2 3 See, for example, In Their Own Words: The Formulation of Sexual and Reproductive Health Behaviour Among Young Men in Bangladesh Archived 2012-02-22 at the Wayback Machine., Shivananda Khan, Sharful Islam Khan and Paula E. Hollerbach, for the Catalyst Consortium.
  17. 1 2 Rowson, Everett K. (October 1991). "The Effeminates of Early Medina" (PDF). Journal of the American Oriental Society. American Oriental Society. 111 (4): 671–693. doi:10.2307/603399. JSTOR 603399.
  18. ↑ Al Muqni, Matan. al Sharh al Kabeer (in Arabic). 7. pp. 347–348.
  19. 1 2 3 4 Kulick, Don (1998). Travesti: Sex, Gender, and Culture Among Brazilian Transgendered Prostitutes. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. p. 269. ISBN 0-226-46100-9.
  20. ↑ Kulick, Don (1998). Travesti: Sex, Gender, and Culture among Brazilian Transgendered Prostitutes (PDF). University of Chicago Press. p. 248.
  21. ↑ Linnea Due (October 25, 1995). Genderation X. San Francisco Weekly
  22. ↑ Devor H (1993). Sexual Orientation Identities, Attractions, and Practices of Female-to-Male Transsexuals. The Journal of Sex Research, Vol. 30, No. 4 (Nov., 1993), pp. 303–315
  23. ↑ Devor H (1997). FTM: Female-to-male transsexuals in society. Indiana University Press, ISBN 978-0-253-33631-6
  24. 1 2 Ira B. Pauly (1998). Gender Identity and Sexual Orientation. In Dallas Denny, ed. Current Concepts in Transgender Identity. Routledge, ISBN 978-0-8153-1793-7
  25. ↑ Virginia A. Sadock, Harold I. Kaplan (2008). Kaplan and Sadock's Concise Textbook of Clinical Psychiatry, p. 329. Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, ISBN 978-0-7817-8746-8
  26. ↑ Foerster, DW (1983). "Female to Male Transsexual Conversion: A 15-Year Follow-Up". Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery. 72 (2): 237. doi:10.1097/00006534-198308000-00024.
  27. ↑ G. Kockott, E. -M. Fahrner (1988). Male-to-female and Female-to-male transsexuals: A comparison. Archives of Sexual Behavior, Volume 17, Number 6 / December, 1988
  28. 1 2 Henry Rubin (2003). Self-made Men: Identity and Embodiment Among Transsexual Men. Vanderbilt University Press, ISBN 978-0-8265-1435-6
  29. ↑ Kailey, Matt (2006). Just Add Hormones: An Insider’s Guide to the Transsexual Experience, Beacon Press, ISBN 978-0-8070-7959-1
  30. ↑ Jacob Anderson-Minshall (January 19, 2006) Invisible Man. San Francisco Bay Times
  31. ↑ Szymanski, Zak (January 19, 2006). Leather community debates trans exclusion at upcoming contest. Bay Area Reporter
  32. ↑ "What are transgender men's HIV prevention needs?". Center for AIDS Prevention Studies. Retrieved 2012-10-02.
  33. ↑ "Download - Doing it Again, Vol 1: Playful Awakenings". handbasketproductions.com.
  34. ↑ Latham, JR (March 2016). "Trans men's sexual narrative-practices: Introducing STS to trans and sexuality studies". Sexualities. 19 (3): 347. doi:10.1177/1363460715583609.
  35. ↑ Ashley A, Thompson D (1986). The First Lady. John Blake Publishing, ISBN 1-84454-231-9
  36. ↑ Cossey C (1992). My Story. Faber & Faber, ISBN 0-571-16251-7
  37. ↑ Boylan JF (2003). She's Not There: A Life in Two Genders. Broadway ISBN 0-7679-1404-X
  38. ↑ Daskalos, CD (1998). "Changes in the Sexual Orientation of Six Heterosexual Male-to-Female Transsexuals". Archives of Sexual Behavior. 6 (6): 605–614. doi:10.1023/A:1018725201811.
  39. ↑ Hirschfeld, M (1923). "Die intersexuelle Konstitution". Jarhbuch fuer sexuelle Zwischenstufen. 1923: 3–27.
  40. ↑ Doctor RF, Fleming JS (2001). Measures of Transgender Behavior. Archives of Sexual Behavior Volume 30, Number 3 / June, 2001
  41. ↑ Rachlin, Katherine (1999) Factors Which Influence Individual’s Decisions When Considering Female-To-Male Genital Reconstructive Surgery. IJT 3,3, "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2009-03-18. Retrieved 2009-05-01.
  42. ↑ Deana F. Morrow, Lori Messinger (2006). Sexual Orientation and Gender Expression in Social Work Practice, p. 265. Columbia University Press, ISBN 978-0-231-12728-8
  43. ↑ Benjamin (1966). " Benjamin Scale Archived 2008-09-13 at the Wayback Machine.
  44. ↑ Fisk, N M (1974-05-01). "Editorial: Gender dysphoria syndrome--the conceptualization that liberalizes indications for total gender reorientation and implies a broadly based multi-dimensional rehabilitative regimen". Western Journal of Medicine. 120 (5): 386–391. ISSN 0093-0415. PMC 1130142. PMID 4839483.
  45. ↑ "Ten Reasons Why the Transvestic Disorder Diagnosis in the DSM-5 Has Got to Go". 16 October 2010.
  46. ↑ http://www.dsm5.org/Documents/Paraphilic%2520Disorders%2520Fact%2520Sheet.pdf Archived 2016-07-24 at the Wayback Machine.
  47. ↑ Southern Arizona Gender Alliance Gender Identity 101: A Transgender Primer.
  48. ↑ "National Transgender Discrimination Survey: Full Report" (PDF).
  49. ↑ "National Transgender Discrimination Survey" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-07-28.
  50. ↑ "Sex Work and HIV Status Among Transgender Women: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis".
  51. ↑ Clements-Nolle, K; Marx, R; Guzman, R; Katz, M (2001). "HIV Prevalence, Risk Behaviors, Health Care Use, and Mental Health Status of Transgender Persons: Implications for Public Health Intervention" (PDF). Am J Public Health. 91 (6): 915–21. doi:10.2105/ajph.91.6.915. PMC 1446468. PMID 11392934.
  52. ↑ Lees, Paris. "Paris Lees: Bodily autonomy- confessions of a transsexual sex worker". The Independent. Archived from the original on 2013-03-12.
  53. ↑ Kane, Matt. "GLAAD EXAMINES TEN YEARS OF TRANSGENDER IMAGES ON TELEVISION; MORE THAN HALF WERE NEGATIVE OR DEFAMATORY".
  54. ↑ Wilkinson, Peter (January 12, 2006). The Mystery of Larry Wachowski. Rolling Stone


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