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Men Trapped in Men's Bodies: Narratives of Autogynephilic Transsexualism

Men Trapped in Men's Bodies: Narratives of Autogynephilic Transsexualism is a 2013 book on the subject of autogynephilia and transgender women written by sexologist Anne Lawrence.[1] In the book, she discusses autogynephilia, a paraphilia in which a person is sexually attracted to and aroused by the thought or image of themselves as female.[1][2] It is defined as an erotic target location error, as a self-directed form of gynephilia, and as a sexuoromantic orientation.[1][3][2] Autogynephilia has been theorized by some academics, such as Lawrence, Ray Blanchard, and J. Michael Bailey, to be the motivating etiology for a subset of transgender women.[1] It has also been theorized to be the cause of the feelings and behaviors of certain non-transgender males, including non-transitioning autogynephiles (sometimes called "crossdreamers") and erotic crossdressers ("transvestites").[1][4] In respect to the latter, transvestism has been defined as a subtype of autogynephilia.[1] Lawrence herself is a transgender woman and self-identifies as autogynephilic.[1] However, Blanchard's etiological typology of transgender women and autogynephilia are highly controversial subjects and are not accepted by many other transgender women and academics.[5][6] The book was published in 2013 by Springer in New York.[1]

Men Trapped in Men's Bodies: Narratives of Autogynephilic Transsexualism
AuthorAnne Lawrence
LanguageEnglish
SeriesFocus on Sexuality Research
SubjectAutogynephilia, transgenderism
PublishedNew York
PublisherSpringer Publishing
Publication date
2013
Publication placeUnited States
Media typePrint
Pages242
ISBN9781461451815
OCLC802321578
Websitehttps://annelawrence.com/book/

Men Trapped in Men's Bodies: Narratives of Autogynephilic Transsexualism is 242 pages in length and has 12 chapters.[1] Its chapters include "Men Trapped in Men's Bodies", "Theory and Case Histories", "Narratives by Autogynephilic Transsexuals", "Confronting Autogynephilia", "Developmental Histories", "Manifestations of Autogynephilia", "Autogynephilia and Heterosexuality", "Sex with Men", "Other Aspects of Autogynephilic Sexuality", "Debating the Meaning of Autogynephilia", "Narratives by Nontranssexual Autogynephiles", and "Autogynephilic Transsexualism in Perspective".[1] It includes 249 first-person narratives of autogynephilia by transgender women and 52 narratives of autogynephilia by non-transgender males (301 narratives in total) that were submitted to and collected by Lawrence.[1] This followed earlier collections of the same kinds of narratives that Lawrence had published in 1999.[1][7][8] Besides the book, Lawrence has published a number of literature reviews on autogynephilia.[9][2][10][3][5]

The book has a similar title to a 1998 essay published by Lawrence in Transgender Tapestry called Men Trapped in Men's Bodies: An Introduction to the Concept of Autogynephilia[11] and to a 1999 essay presented by Lawrence at the 16th Harry Benjamin International Gender Dysphoria Association (HBIGDA) symposium known as Men Trapped in Men's Bodies: Autogynephilic Eroticism as a Motive for Seeking Sex Reassignment.[1][12][13] Both of these essays were also previously published on Lawrence's website,[1][11][13] in addition to her earlier 1999 collections of autogynephilia narratives.[7][8] The book's title is also similar to the title of a chapter called Men Trapped in Men's Bodies in J. Michael Bailey's 2003 book, The Man Who Would Be Queen: The Science of Gender-Bending and Transsexualism, with this chapter title being inspired by and taking after the titles of Lawrence's earlier essays.[14] The phrase "men trapped in men's bodies" refers to the fact that transgender women are often described as "women trapped in men's bodies", yet autogynephilic transgender women are said not to resemble women in terms of their behavioral characteristics and life histories but instead to be more similar to men in these areas and to have an intense desire to become women due to their autogynephilic feelings.[1][14] Hence, these transgender women, relative to pretransition, could, in a sense, alternatively be described as "men trapped in men's bodies" per Lawrence.[1][14] Ray Blanchard has stated that Lawrence initially startled even him with the phrase and the forthright titles of her essays.[1]

Men Trapped in Men's Bodies: Narratives of Autogynephilic Transsexualism has received several published book reviews, including by psychologist Richard Lippa,[15] psychiatrist Stephen B. Levine,[16] sexologist Kevin Hsu,[17] psychologist Richard Carroll,[18] and psychologist Margaret Nichols.[19] It has been regarded by Ray Blanchard, who wrote the foreword of the book and developed the concept of autogynephilia, as the definitive text on the subject of autogynephilia.[1] He has compared it favorably to Magnus Hirschfeld's classic 1910 work, Die Transvestiten: Eine Untersuchung über den Erotischen Verkleidungstrieb (Transvestites: The Erotic Drive to Cross-Dress).[1]

Many transgender women reject autogynephilia as an explanation for their feelings and consider the concept to be offensive.[5][6] Criticisms have been lobbied against the construct of autogynephilia on a variety of grounds.[20][21][22] However, some people, most famously Lawrence herself, identify with autogynephilia and find that it accurately describes their experiences.[1][23][24] That some individuals identify with autogynephilia is also evidenced by the 301 narratives of autogynephilia by transgender and non-transgender people that were submitted to and published by Lawrence.[1]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u Anne A. Lawrence (2013). Men Trapped in Men's Bodies: Narratives of Autogynephilic Transsexualism (PDF). Focus on Sexuality Research. Springer Science & Business Media. doi:10.1007/978-1-4614-5182-2. ISBN 978-1-4614-5182-2. OCLC 910979847. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2024-03-23.
  2. ^ a b c Lawrence, Anne A. (2007). "Becoming What We Love: Autogynephilic Transsexualism Conceptualized as an Expression of Romantic Love" (PDF). Perspect. Biol. Med. 50 (4): 506–520. doi:10.1353/pbm.2007.0050. PMID 17951885. S2CID 31767722. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2023-12-11. Retrieved 2024-05-15.
  3. ^ a b Lawrence, Anne A. (2011). "Autogynephilia: An Underappreciated Paraphilia" (PDF). Advances in Psychosomatic Medicine. 31: 135–148. doi:10.1159/000328921. ISBN 978-3-8055-9825-5. ISSN 1662-2855. PMID 22005209. S2CID 16143265. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2024-03-23.
  4. ^ Webb, M.A. (2019). A Reflective Guide to Gender Identity Counselling. Jessica Kingsley Publishers. p. 38. ISBN 978-1-78450-733-6. Retrieved 28 April 2024.
  5. ^ a b c Lawrence, Anne A. (2017). "Autogynephilia and the Typology of Male-to-Female Transsexualism: Concepts and Controversies" (PDF). European Psychologist. 22 (1): 39–54. doi:10.1027/1016-9040/a000276. ISSN 1016-9040. S2CID 151624961. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2024-04-24.
  6. ^ a b Dreger AD (June 2008). "The controversy surrounding "The man who would be queen": a case history of the politics of science, identity, and sex in the Internet age". Arch Sex Behav. 37 (3): 366–421. doi:10.1007/s10508-007-9301-1. PMC 3170124. PMID 18431641.
  7. ^ a b Lawrence, A. A. (1999), "28 narratives about autogynephilia", annelawrence.com, archived from the original on 2000-08-16
  8. ^ a b Lawrence, A. A. (1999), "31 New Narratives About Autogynephilia: Plus Five Revealing Fantasy Narratives", annelawrence.com, archived from the original on 2000-08-16
  9. ^ Lawrence, Anne A. (2004). "Autogynephilia: A Paraphilic Model of Gender Identity Disorder" (PDF). Journal of Gay and Lesbian Psychotherapy. 8 (1/2): 69–87. CiteSeerX 10.1.1.656.9256. doi:10.1080/19359705.2004.9962367. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2024-03-23. Retrieved 2024-05-14.
  10. ^ Lawrence, Anne A. (2009). "Transgenderism in Nonhomosexual Males As a Paraphilic Phenomenon: Implications for Case Conceptualization and Treatment" (PDF). Sexual and Relationship Therapy. 24 (2): 188–206. doi:10.1080/14681990902937340. ISSN 1468-1994.
  11. ^ a b Anne A. Lawrence (1998), Men Trapped in Men's Bodies: An Introduction to the Concept of Autogynephilia, vol. 1, pp. 65–68, archived from the original on 1999-10-11
  12. ^ Bailey JM, Triea K (2007). "What many transgender activists don't want you to know: and why you should know it anyway". Perspect Biol Med. 50 (4): 521–34. doi:10.1353/pbm.2007.0041. PMID 17951886.
  13. ^ a b Anne Lawrence (1999), "Men Trapped in Men's Bodies: Autogynephilic Eroticism as a Motive for Seeking Sex Reassignment", Presented at the 16th HBIGDA Symposium, London, UK, August 20, 1999, archived from the original on 2000-01-18
  14. ^ a b c Bailey, J. Michael (2003). "Men Trapped in Men's Bodies". The Man Who Would Be Queen: The Science of Gender-Bending and Transsexualism (PDF). Washington, D.C.: Joseph Henry Press. pp. 157–176. ISBN 978-0-309-08418-5. OCLC 51088011. OL 9756152M. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-07-27. Retrieved 2024-05-15.
  15. ^ Lippa, Richard A. (2015). "Men Trapped in Men's Bodies: Narratives of Autogynephilic Transsexualism: By Anne A. Lawrence. New York, Springer, 2013, 242 pp., $129.00 (hardcover), $49.99 (softcover), $39.99 (ebook)". Archives of Sexual Behavior. 44 (5): 1511–1514. doi:10.1007/s10508-015-0553-x. ISSN 0004-0002.
  16. ^ Levine, Stephen B. (2014). "What is More Bizarre: The Transsexual or Transsexual Politics?: Men Trapped In Men's Bodies: Narratives of Autogynephilic Transsexualism. By Anne A. Lawrence, New York Springer, 2013. 242 pp. $129 (hardcover). ISBN: 978-1-4614-5181-5". Sex Roles. 70 (3–4): 158–160. doi:10.1007/s11199-013-0341-9. ISSN 0360-0025.
  17. ^ Hsu, Kevin J. (2014). "The "Auto" (Self) in Autogynephilic Transsexualism: Men Trapped in Men's Bodies: Narratives of Autogynephilic Transsexualism . By Anne A. Lawrence. New York, NY: Springer, 2013, 242 pages. Cloth, $129.00". The Journal of Sex Research. 51 (2): 234–236. doi:10.1080/00224499.2013.842354. ISSN 0022-4499.
  18. ^ Carroll, Richard A. (2014). "A Review of "Men Trapped in Men's Bodies: Narratives of Autogynephilic Transsexualism": by Anne Lawrence . New York: Springer, 2013. 242 pages, $109 (hardcover)". Journal of Sex & Marital Therapy. 40 (1): 73–75. doi:10.1080/0092623X.2013.854561. ISSN 0092-623X.
  19. ^ Nichols, Margaret (2014). "A Review of "Men Trapped in Men's Bodies: Narratives of Autogynephilic Transsexualism": by Anne Lawrence . New York: Springer, 2013. 242 pages, $109 (hardcover)". Journal of Sex & Marital Therapy. 40 (1): 71–73. doi:10.1080/0092623X.2013.854559. ISSN 0092-623X.
  20. ^ Serano, Julia (2020). "Autogynephilia: A scientific review, feminist analysis, and alternative 'embodiment fantasies' model". The Sociological Review. 68 (4): 763–778. doi:10.1177/0038026120934690. ISSN 0038-0261.
  21. ^ Serano, Julia M. (2010-10-12). "The Case Against Autogynephilia". International Journal of Transgenderism. 12 (3): 176–187. doi:10.1080/15532739.2010.514223. ISSN 1553-2739.
  22. ^ Moser, Charles (30 June 2010). "Blanchard's Autogynephilia Theory: A Critique". Journal of Homosexuality. 57 (6). Informa UK Limited: 790–809. doi:10.1080/00918369.2010.486241. ISSN 0091-8369. PMID 20582803.
  23. ^ Singal, Jesse (2023-11-21). "The rage behind Transgender Map". UnHerd. Retrieved 2024-04-28. What appears to have curdled her is the work of Ray Blanchard, the sex researcher who proposed the theory of autogynephilia, which posits that some trans women are motivated to transition by sexual arousal at the thought of being a woman. It is seen by some trans people as offensive because, in their view, it pathologises and/or sexualises their identity. An apparently smaller group of individuals, most famously Anne Lawrence, believe it accurately describes their own experiences.
  24. ^ Illy, P. (2023). Autoheterosexual: Attracted to Being the Other Sex. Houndstooth Press. ISBN 978-1-5445-4144-0. Retrieved 16 May 2024.
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