Attraction to transgender people

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Ecuadorian politician Diane Rodríguez, a trans woman (right) with her partner, Nicolás Guamanquispe, a trans man (left), 2014
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Sexual attraction to transgender people has been the subject of scientific study and social commentary. Psychologists have researched sexual attraction toward trans women, trans men, cross dressers, non-binary people, and a combination of these. Publications in the field of transgender studies have investigated the attraction transgender individuals can feel for each other. The people who feel this attraction to transgender people name their attraction in different ways.

Cisgender men attracted to transgender women primarily identify as heterosexual and sometimes as bisexual, but rarely as homosexual, and may even regard their attraction as its own sexual orientation and invent their own terms for it. Transgender individuals often call their attraction to other transgender people T4T and may consider it both a sexual identity and a form of political identity.

Cisgender attraction to transgender people[edit]

Despite being referred to as a paraphilia by several researchers in 2008,[1] as of 2013, having a sexual preference for transgender people is neither diagnosable as a mental illness nor as a paraphilic (fetish) disorder.[2]

In 2019, researchers Karen Blair and Rhea Hoskin surveyed over 1,000 people. Gay men were more willing than straight men to date a trans person (12% vs. 3%) and lesbian women were more willing than straight women (29% vs. 2%). Both gay men and lesbian women were much more willing to date a trans person whose gender matched their preferred orientation (i.e. gay men were more willing to date trans men and lesbian women were more willing to date trans women).[3]

Lesbian wedding including a trans woman in Saint Petersburg, Russia, 2014

Trans women[edit]

In their sociological study, Martin S. Weinberg and Colin J. Williams interviewed 26 men sexually interested in trans women (MSTW).[4] 13 identified themselves as heterosexual, and 13 as "bisexual or probably bisexual". The authors opined "These labels only superficially describe their sexual interest,"[4]: 378  and noted that the expressed interest in trans women was sometimes used as a basis for denying a more stigmatized self-identity. As an example, they described a case who "said that he was 'bisexual' rather than 'gay' because he was able to think of the trans women as women".[4]: 381 

As part of HIV prevention research in 2004, Operario et al. interviewed 46 men in the San Francisco area who had sex with transgender women, but found "no consistent patterns between how men described their sexual orientation identity versus their sexual behavior and attraction to transgender women".[5] Of the sample, 20 of them described themselves as being straight or heterosexual. Some men were definitive about this declaration, while others were hesitant and wondered if they should consider themselves bisexual.

A Northwestern University study recruited 205 men interested in trans women. In that online survey, 51% identified as straight, 41% as bisexual, and the remainder as gay. Also, 55% said their ideal partner would be a cisgender female, and 36% said it would be a trans woman. The study authors concluded that "The interest in trans women appears to be a distinct sexual interest separate from heterosexual men's attraction to women for the majority of men, but there is a substantial minority who may experience it as their sexual orientation."[6]

A 2016 study that used the penile plethysmograph demonstrated that the arousal patterns, genital and subjective, of men who report attraction to transgender women who have "female-typical physical characteristics (e.g. breasts) while retaining a penis" are similar to those of straight men and different from those of gay men. The study showed that these men are much more aroused to female than to male stimuli. They differed from both the groups of straight and gay men, however, in also displaying strong arousal to stimuli featuring trans women, to which they responded as much as to the cisgender female stimuli. Of the men attracted to trans women, 41.7% identified as bisexual, with the remainder identifying as straight. The bisexuals among them did not display significantly more arousal to male stimuli than their heterosexual counterparts, though they did report a higher number of male sex partners.[7]

A 2019 study that asked 958 participants which gender identities they would be interested in dating found that 96.7% of heterosexual men, 98.2% of heterosexual women, 88.5% of gay men, 71.2% of lesbian women, and 48.3% of bisexual, queer, and non-binary participants reported that they would not be interested in dating a transgender person, and the remainder would be interested.[8]

German model Benjamin Melzer [de], a trans man whom PETA hired to pose near-nude for a "sexy"[9] anti-fur campaign

Trans men[edit]

In scientific literature, the term andromimetophilic (noun: andromimetophilia) describes an attraction to trans men.[10]

In 2015, The Palgrave Handbook of the Psychology of Sexuality and Gender described a lack of research exploring others' attraction to trans men or nonbinary FTM persons.[11] This is because much of sexual research often centers the "experiences and perspectives of heterosexual males," who generally have sex with trans women rather than trans men.[11]

The traditional understanding of lesbian does not convey attraction to trans men.[12] A lesbian whose partner transitions to a trans man generally identifies as queer rather than lesbian. Similarly, a heterosexual man whose partner transitions to male would generally use the "queer" label as well.[12]

Erotic materials created for people attracted to trans men have become more visible, especially due to pornographic actor Buck Angel.[13] Trans activist Jamison Green writes that cisgender gay men who are partnered with trans men "are often surprised to find that a penis is not what defines a man, that the lack of a penis does not mean a lack of masculinity, manliness, or male sexuality".[14] Gay author Andrew Sullivan has criticized the idea that gay men should necessarily be attracted to trans men, arguing that sexual orientation is based on biological sex, not gender identity.[15]

Terminology[edit]

A variety of casual terms have developed to refer to people who are attracted to transgender people. These terms include trans-attracted,[16] trans-oriented,[16] transfan,[17] trans admirer,[16] and trans catcher.[17] The terms transromantic, transamorous and transsensual have also emerged, but have not seen much usage.[18]

The terms tranny chaser[18][17] (often shortened to chaser)[16] and tranny hawk[17] have been used, although tranny is considered a slur by many.[19][20] The term chaser is predominantly used to describe cisgender men who are solely sexually interested in trans women,[16] but it is sometimes used to refer to those interested in trans men as well.[18][16] Transgender people often use the term in a pejorative sense, because they consider chasers to value them for their trans status alone, rather than being attracted to them as a person.[18] However, some claim this term in an affirming manner.[21] Sociologist Avery Tompkins of Transylvania University in Kentucky argued in an article in the Journal of Homosexuality that sex-positive trans politics cannot emerge if terms such as "tranny chaser" inform discussion of attraction to transgender people.[18]

Scientific terms[edit]

In scientific literature, the terms gynandromorphophilic (noun: gynandromorphophilia)[7][22][23] and gynemimetophilic (noun: gynemimetophilia)[24][22] are used for men who are attracted to trans women who possess a combination of male and female physical characteristics.

Non-binary people[edit]

The terms skoliosexual and ceterosexual have been used to describe attraction to non-binary people.[25][26][27] The terms pansexual and polysexual (as well as bisexual) may be used to indicate that gender variant people are among the types of people to which one is attracted.[25]

T4T attraction[edit]

Richard Wilcox (left), a transgender man, and Barbara Ann Richards (right), a transgender woman; a trans for trans married couple, photographed in 1941

Transgender people may experience sexual and romantic attraction to other transgender people. This attraction is sometimes called "trans for trans"[28] or T4T attraction. The word T4T comes from Craigslist personals and forums transgender people used to find other transgender people to date and have sex with.[29] Another term for T4T is "transromantic," though it is rarely used.[30]

There are a variety of reasons why transgender people might date, even prefer to date, other transgender people. Some transgender people prefer dating and having sex with other transgender people because of the violence they fear they might experience from cisgender people.[31] Others feel that dating and having sex with other transgender people allows them the emotional safety and the freedom to explore themselves sexually without others questioning the authenticity of their gender.[32] Others may simply find other transgender people more attractive than cisgender people.

T4T, however, is, for some, not just a preference or a type of attraction. Amira Lundy-Harris, Aren Aizura, and Rachel Anne William also regard T4T political identity as a form of separatism focused on advocating for transgender people in the face of a society that discriminates against them.[33][34]

As an example, in 2022, Canadian actors Elliot Page and Mae Martin attended the LACMA Art + Film Gala as a couple; Martin captioned their photograph with "My King" and "#t4t."[35][36]

In the context of FTM for FTM relationships, a Daddy/boy dynamic can be part of the gender affirmation process, thereby leading to gender euphoria. In 2022, Transgender Studies Quarterly studied the correlation claimed that a Daddy/boy dynamic between trans people "can be read as gender labor; affective and intersubjective work that produces gender".[37][38]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Laws, D. Richard; O'Donohue, William T. (2008). Sexual Deviance: Theory, Assessment, and Treatment. Guilford Press. ISBN 978-1-59385-605-2.[page needed]
  2. ^ American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (5th ed.). Washington, DC.[page needed]
  3. ^ "Will Straight Men and Women Date a Trans Person? | Psychology Today". www.psychologytoday.com. Retrieved 28 July 2023.
  4. ^ a b c Weinberg, Martin S.; Williams, Colin J. (13 July 2010). "Men Sexually Interested in Transwomen (MSTW): Gendered Embodiment and the Construction of Sexual Desire". The Journal of Sex Research. 47 (4): 374–383. doi:10.1080/00224490903050568. PMID 19544216. S2CID 24525426.
  5. ^ Operario, Don; Burton, Jennifer; Underhill, Kristen; Sevelius, Jae (January 2008). "Men Who Have Sex with Transgender Women: Challenges to Category-based HIV Prevention". AIDS and Behavior. 12 (1): 18–26. doi:10.1007/s10461-007-9303-y. PMID 17705095. S2CID 31831055.
  6. ^ Rosenthal, A. M.; Hsu, Kevin J.; Bailey, J. Michael (January 2017). "Who Are Gynandromorphophilic Men? An Internet Survey of Men with Sexual Interest in Transgender Women". Archives of Sexual Behavior. 46 (1): 255–264. doi:10.1007/s10508-016-0872-6. PMID 27858199. S2CID 27994757. GAMP is best considered an unusual form of heterosexuality rather than a separate sexual orientation. ... By this understanding of 'sexual orientation,' GAMP does not qualify. GAMP men in this study were indifferent between their self-reported sexual arousal by women and by GAMs; both were highly arousing to them.
  7. ^ a b Hsu, K. J.; Rosenthal, A. M.; Miller, D. I.; Bailey, J. M. (March 2016). "Who are gynandromorphophilic men? Characterizing men with sexual interest in transgender women". Psychological Medicine. 46 (4): 819–827. doi:10.1017/S0033291715002317. PMID 26498424. S2CID 5600381.
  8. ^ Blair, Karen L.; Hoskin, Rhea Ashley (1 July 2019). "Transgender exclusion from the world of dating: Patterns of acceptance and rejection of hypothetical trans dating partners as a function of sexual and gender identity". Journal of Social and Personal Relationships. 36 (7): 2074–2095. doi:10.1177/0265407518779139. S2CID 149760233.
  9. ^ "PHOTOS: Transgender Models Unveil Sexy New PETA Ad at NYFW". PETA. 13 September 2017. Retrieved 28 July 2023.
  10. ^ Denny, Dallas (1998). Current Concepts in Transgender Identity. Taylor & Francis. ISBN 978-0-8153-1793-7.
  11. ^ a b Richards, Christina; Barker, Meg-John (28 April 2015). The Palgrave Handbook of the Psychology of Sexuality and Gender. Springer. ISBN 978-1-137-34589-9.
  12. ^ a b Tate, Charlotte Chucky; Hagai, Ella Ben; Crosby, Faye J. (4 June 2020). Undoing the Gender Binary. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-1-108-60531-1.
  13. ^ Richardson, Niall (2010). Transgressive Bodies: Representations in Film and Popular Culture. Ashgate Publishing, Ltd. ISBN 978-0-7546-7622-5[page needed]
  14. ^ Green, Jamison (2004). Becoming a Visible Man. Nashville, Tennessee: Vanderbilt University Press. p. 121. ISBN 978-0-826-51456-1.
  15. ^ "The Nature of Sex". New York Intelligencer. February 2019. Retrieved 8 August 2019.
  16. ^ a b c d e f Milloy, Christin Scarlett (2 October 2014). "Meet the Chasers, "Admirers" Who Really, Really Want to Date Trans People". Slate Magazine. Archived from the original on 24 August 2019. Retrieved 24 August 2019.
  17. ^ a b c d Baker, Paul (2004). Fantabulosa: A Dictionary of Polari and Gay Slang. Continuum International Publishing Group, ISBN 978-0-8264-7343-1[page needed]
  18. ^ a b c d e Tompkins, Avery Brooks (4 May 2014). "'There's No Chasing Involved': Cis/Trans Relationships, 'Tranny Chasers,' and the Future of a Sex-Positive Trans Politics". Journal of Homosexuality. 61 (5): 766–780. doi:10.1080/00918369.2014.870448. PMID 24294827. S2CID 9316028.
  19. ^ Staff report (4 January 2010). Paper guilty of transsexual slur. BBC News
  20. ^ Lennard, Natasha (7 April 2010). Transgender Film Draws Protests at Festival Site. The New York Times
  21. ^ Green, Eli; Eric Peterson. "LGBTTSQI Terminology & Definitions" (PDF). Trans academics. Archived from the original (PDF) on 29 March 2014. Retrieved 8 May 2014.
  22. ^ a b Blaney, Paul H.; Krueger, Robert F.; Millon, Theodore (19 September 2014). Oxford Textbook of Psychopathology (3rd ed.). New York: Oxford University Press. p. 592. ISBN 9780199811779. OCLC 900980099.
  23. ^ Petterson, Lanna J.; Science, University of Lethbridge Faculty of Arts and (2020). Male sexual orientation: a cross-cultural perspective (Thesis). hdl:10133/5763.
  24. ^ Money, John; Lamacz, Margaret (July 1984). "Gynemimesis and gynemimetophilia: Individual and cross-cultural manifestations of a gender-coping strategy hitherto unnamed". Comprehensive Psychiatry. 25 (4): 392–403. doi:10.1016/0010-440X(84)90074-9. PMID 6467919.
  25. ^ a b Michelson, Noah (16 October 2015). "What's a Skoliosexual?". HuffPost. Retrieved 16 July 2017.
  26. ^ Anderson-Minshall, Jacob (18 May 2017). "Is Fetishizing Trans Bodies Offensive?". The Advocate. Retrieved 14 October 2017.
  27. ^ "What Does Skoliosexual Mean?". Gayety. 3 August 2022. Retrieved 19 February 2023.
  28. ^ Burt, Stephanie (27 June 2022). "The Invention of the Trans Novel". The New Yorker. Retrieved 6 December 2022.
  29. ^ Awkward-Rich, Cameron; Malatino, Hil (1 February 2022). "Meanwhile, t4t". TSQ: Transgender Studies Quarterly. 9 (1): 1–8. doi:10.1215/23289252-9475467. ISSN 2328-9252. S2CID 247431891.
  30. ^ Decker, Julie Sondra (13 October 2015). The Invisible Orientation: An Introduction to Asexuality * Next Generation Indie Book Awards Winner in LGBT *. Simon and Schuster. ISBN 978-1-5107-0064-2.
  31. ^ Sparks, Kevin (24 April 2019). "T4T: When Trans People Date Each Other". Parlour Talk. Retrieved 24 October 2022.
  32. ^ "How Queer Sex Liberated Me | Britni de la Cretaz". Catapult. 17 November 2020. Retrieved 24 October 2022.
  33. ^ Adair, Cassius; Aizura, Aren (1 February 2022). ""The Transgender Craze Seducing Our [Sons]"; or, All the Trans Guys Are Just Dating Each Other". TSQ: Transgender Studies Quarterly. 9 (1): 44–64. doi:10.1215/23289252-9475509. ISSN 2328-9252. S2CID 247415902.
  34. ^ Lundy-Harris, Amira (2022). ""Necessary Bonding"". TSQ: Transgender Studies Quarterly. 9: 84–100. doi:10.1215/23289252-9475537. S2CID 247433604. Retrieved 24 October 2022.
  35. ^ "Elliot Page and Mae Martin Appear to Make Their Red Carpet Couple Debut". Glamour. 7 November 2022. Retrieved 28 July 2023.
  36. ^ "Elliot Page Steps Out with Mae Martin for Gala in L.A. as Friends React: 'Cannot Handle This Pic'". Peoplemag. Retrieved 28 July 2023.
  37. ^ Adair, Cassius; Aizura, Aren (1 February 2022). ""The Transgender Craze Seducing Our [Sons]"; or, All the Trans Guys Are Just Dating Each Other". TSQ: Transgender Studies Quarterly. 9 (1): 44–64. doi:10.1215/23289252-9475509. Retrieved 29 January 2024.
  38. ^ Awkward-Rich, Cameron; Malatino, Hil (1 February 2022). "Meanwhile, t4t". TSQ: Transgender Studies Quarterly. 9 (1): 1–8. doi:10.1215/23289252-9475467. Retrieved 29 January 2024.

Further reading[edit]

  • Tracie O'Keefe, Katrina Fox, eds., Trans People in Love, Routledge, 2008, ISBN 0-7890-3572-3
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