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Links to many essays about autogynephilia (AGP) and the related controversy provide a very diverse range of perspectives on this all-too-contentious debate.
If you are just arriving, please take some time to explore some of my writing about autogynephilia:
Autogynephilia & Ray Blanchard's Mis-Directed Sex-Drive Model of Transsexuality (a critique)
After reading these essays, you might be interested in exploring the diverse range of perspectives on autogynephilia found elsewhere on the internet. These perspectives come from personal transgendered perspectives and academic perspectives like medicine, psychology, philosophy, and anthropology.
Miqqi Alicia Gilbert & "On Being Beautiful" Miqqi is a philosophy professor and an out cross-dresser. In this essay she captures elegantly how silly it is to think of loving oneself as a women (i.e., "autogynephilia") as something inherent bad, like a pathology.
Bailey's "at it again" - the omission and distortion of BSTc findings M. Italiano discusses concerns with Bailey's and Lawrence's post-hoc attempts to minimize the inconsistency between Blanchard's model and the BSTc findings.
David Steinberg & "Comes Naturally #98" David provides an insightful example of mild autogynephilia in "normal" men.
Virginia Erhardt & "Response to Anne Lawrence and Rebecca Allison on Autogynephilia" A clinical psychologist responds to the controversy over autogynephilia as it originated among transsexuals, between two transsexual medical doctors. Like me, her greatest concern with autogynephilia is the use of a mental illness model to describe transsexuality.
Jamie Faye Fenton & "The Dual Motive Theory of Secondary Transsexuality" Jamie has thought considerably about many fine distinctions we could draw for nearly every concept used to discuss autogynephilia. Among her most interesting subtle distinctions is SAWS and AGPMT. These acronynms correspond to the two ways I have heard researchers use the term "autogynephilia": as a phenomena and as a theoretical construct respectively.
Richard Ekins & Dave King (2001) Transgendering, Migrating and Love of Oneself as a Woman: A Contribution to a Sociology of Autogynephilia. A sociological account of how Anne Lawrence appropriated the concept of autogynephilia from Ray Blanchard and the subsequent reaction within the transgender community.
Review of J. Michael Bailey's book in the Independent Gay Forum Paul Varnell says, "Psychologist Michael Bailey tries to revive fusty stereotypes of gay femininity with carefully limited selection of evidence, poor scientific method, doubtful or self-contradictory assertions and an exaggerated gender dichotomy."
Harper Jean Tobin & "Sexuality in Transsexual and Transgender Individuals" Harper's honors thesis explores transgender sexuality without imposing a psychopathological model. It is interesting to contrast her approach with Ray Blanchard's approach.
"Categorically wrong?" by Andrea James Andrea has put together a compendium of information to help you sort out who is who and what is what in an exceding complicated collection of affiliations among those who support and oppose Blanchard's model. Among the most interesting results of her effort is the recognition that every positive review (except one) of J. Michael Bailey's book came from members of the "Human Biodiversity Institute." The only exception seems to be James Cantor, who works in Ray Blanchard's gender identity clinic.
Kathy Wilson & "Autogynephilia: New Medical Thinking or Old Stereotype?" Kathy of the Gender Identity Center of Colorado notes some of the scientific weaknesses in Blanchard's model. She notes how there are many counter-examples to a stereotype we might draw from Blanchard's model where "non-homosexual" transsexuals are incapable of healthy romantic relationships.
Jed Bland & "Bailey, Blanchard, Lawrence and the Fallacy of Autogynephilia" Jed notes errors of reductionism and essentialism inherent in the work of Michael Bailey and Ray Blanchard. Jed includes a summary of Bailey's book, chapter by chapter.
Lynn Conway & Why the National Academy of Science published J. Michael Bailey's book Lynn Conway was surprised to find out the National Academy of Science published Bailey's book. As a member of NAS, she is trying to figure out why. Among the most interesting things she has noted is how the case studies in Bailey's book are not like the people they represent. She illustrates how she feels Bailey was selective in choosing who to write about and selective in choosing details to make his participants fit his pre-conceived beliefs. Her work illustrates the weakness of using case studies as evidence for scientific inquiry.
Anne Lawrence & "Sexuality & Transsexuality: An New Introduction to Autogynephilia" Anne, a medical doctor, finds great personal strength in the idea of autogynephilia. She speaks of it almost spiritually. Here is her latest overview essay on the topic. She feels it is her most nuanced discussion of the topic, though I believe her original essay has the most clear depth of feeling. On her web-site, you can also read both overviews and two collections of transgender narratives written in light of Blanchard's ideas.
Rahne Alexander of the "Scarlet Letters" Rahne notes with a wry sense of humor how gender stereotyping my underlie the belief that autogynephilia could be a pathology. She says, "Casting the desire to become a woman as a sexual perversion is a unique twist. For one thing, it discounts the existence and sexual maturity of more than half the population of earth. I mean, we mustn't let people think it healthy to desire becoming a woman, regardless of birth sex. If we had a society full of women who respected themselves sexually, we'd have chaos for sure."
Pandora & "Much Ado About Bailey, The Man Who Would be Knowitall" Pandora has a witty sense of humor as she discusses J. Michael Bailey's book. She likes the idea of autogynephilia but dislikes the division it has created when it's supporters try to group everyone into one of two boxes (otherwise they're lying). Actually, she says it this way: "It's nice to have just two categories. It's straightforward, tidy, and most importantly means that you only have to put two checkboxes on any given form."
Becky Allison's "Janice Raymond & Autogynephilia" Becky is a transsexual and medical doctor, though her thoughts expressed here are more personal. She illustrates how she feels about the language surrounding autogynephilia. She also draws parallels between the work of feminist Janice Raymond and psychopathologist Ray Blanchard.
Roberta Angela Dee & "The Myth of Autogynephilia" Roberta is concerned about autogynephilia because she sees Blanchard's model and Lawrence's writing as lacking in necessary attention to cultural diversity.
Skylark's "The Man Who Would Be a Scientist" Skylark is concerned with the rigor of Bailey's work, including both an inappropriately value-laden approach to ethnography (i.e., case studies in their social context) and a failure to meet basic standards of science, like falsifiability
J. Michael Bailey & his book controversy Michael, a psychology professor, defends his book and his endorsement of Blanchard's model. He is effective at writing this page as a FAQ of succint pointed responses to criticisms.
Review of J. Michael Bailey's book in GayToday Pauline Park notes, among other things, how Bailey fails to seriously consider the social constructivist perspective when he writes about it in his book.
Christine Beatty's critique of J. Michael Bailey's book Christine is sharply critical of Bailey's book, especially what she sees as smug confidence and the lurid use of sex.
Deirdre McCloskey & "Queer Science, A data-bending psychologist confirms what he already knew about gays and transsexuals." Deirdre, an economics professor and transsexual women, writes passionately about how she feels Bailey misrepresents the lives of transsexuals.
B. C. Holmes on Autogynephilia B. C. describes her gender as "60/40" and she notes several of her personal feelings about autogynephilia and Anne Lawrence's position in a very "earthy" way. For example, rather than being stuffy like me and talking about a "confirmation bias", she quotes old sayings like "When your only tool is a hammer, every problem tends to look like a nail."
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