"Dead Beat" Dads?

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Recommended: Gender theory

In this essay, authors J. Michael Bailey and Kiira Triea try to disprove the “feminine essence theory” which they consider to be a misconception of transsexuals. Using research from Ray Blanchard, a University of Toronto professor and sexologist who performed extensive studies on male-to-female transsexuals, the authors explain transsexuals are being part of two separate groups. According to them, a transsexual may either be a homosexual transsexual or an autogynephilic transsexual. Autogynephilia is a term coined by Ray Blanchard and is defined as “inner-directed heterosexuality. That is, autogynephilic males are like heterosexual men, except that their primary sexual attraction is to the image or idea of themselves as women” (Bailey). The authors associate this condition with other paraphilias such as masochism. The authors argue that if you are not homosexual then you are most certainly autogynephilic (Bailey). This essay is relevant to my research because it contradicts the majority of what I have read concerning the “feminine essence theory” and because it summarizes much of Blanchard’s research. However, I do not necessarily agree with this research because it appears that only sexual orientation was taken into consideration towards their concept of gender identity.

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This review by Desire Chilwane is for the book “Recognizing Transsexuals: Personal, Political and Medicolegal Embodiment” by Zowie Davy. This book outlines the history of transsexualism in the medical world and medical terms, such as GID (Gender Identity Disorder). This book also includes studies and interviews performed on both male-to-female transsexuals and female-to-male. This is rare and extremely helpful towards my research, because most research on tr...

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... 13 Oct. 2011.

Chilwane, Desire. "Recognizing Transsexuals: Personal, Political and Medicolegal Embodiment." Journal of International Women's Studies 12.4 (2011): 158+. Expanded Academic ASAP. Web. 13 Oct. 2011

Hargreaves, Isabel, and Kenny Midence. "Psychosocial adjustment in male-to-female transsexuals: an overview of the research evidence." The Journal of Psychology 131.6 (1997): 602+. Expanded Academic ASAP. Web. 13 Oct. 2011

Kraus, Carolyn. "Screening the borderland: transsexualism as cinematic metaphor." CineAction 78 (2009): 17+. Expanded Academic ASAP. Web. 5 Oct. 2011

Milliken, Christie. "Unheimlich maneuvers: the genres and genders of transsexual documentary." Velvet Light Trap (1998): 47+. Expanded Academic ASAP. Web. 13 Oct. 2011.

Ramsey, Gerald. Trans-sexuals Candid Answers to Private Questions. Freedom, California: Crossing, 1996. Print.

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