FTM: Female-to-Male Transsexuals in Society

741 Pages·2016·18.919 MB·English

by  Aaron Devor

FTM
Jamison Green
F T M
Female-to-Male
Transsexuals in Society
Aaron Devor
With a new introduction by the author
And a new foreword by Jamison Green
Indiana University Press
Bloomington and Indianapolis
This book is a publication of
Indiana University Press
Office of Scholarly Publishing
Herman B Wells Library 350
1320 East 10th Street
Bloomington, Indiana 47405 USA
iupress.indiana.edu
Portrait of Jamison Green by Loren Cameron.
All other photographs by Aaron Devor.
© 2016 by Aaron Devor
First reprinted in paperback in 1999.
© 1997 by Holly Devor
All rights reserved
No part of this book may be reproduced or utilized in any form or
by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying
and recording, or by any information storage and retrieval
system, without permission in writing from the publisher. The
Association of American University Presses’ Resolution on
Permissions constitutes the only exception to this prohibition.
The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of
the American National Standard for Information Sciences—Permanence
of Paper for Printed Library Materials, ANSI Z39.48–1992.
Manufactured in the United States of America
Cataloging information is available from the Library of Congress.
ISBN 978-0-253-02286-8 (paperback)
ISBN 978-0-253-02334-6 (ebook)
1 2 3 4 5 21 20 19 18 17 16
Contents
New Foreword by Jamison Green ix
Original Foreword by Jamison Green xiii
Acknowledgments xvii
New Introduction xix
Original Introduction xxxi
Part I: First Questions
1 Have Female-to-Male Transsexuals Always Existed? 3
2 Theories about Transsexualism 37
Part II: Childhood Years
3 Finding Out about Gender:
Theories of Childhood Gender Acquisition 71
4 Family Scenes 89
5 Who Would Want to Be a Girl?:
The Women (and Girls) in Participants’ Families 93
6 Men Rule: The Men (and Boys) in Participants’ Families 124
7 Lessons Learned at Home: Summary of Family Relationships 158
8 Childhood Friends and Foes:
Relationships with Non-Family Members 161
v
vi | Contents
Part III: Adolescence
9 Adolescence Is about Change 179
10 Crises at Puberty 190
11 Adolescent Friendships 203
12 Women Are Different: Relationships with Female Relatives 215
13 Access Denied, Restrictions Apply:
Relationship with Male Relatives 238
14 Looking for Love, Groping for Identity: Adolescent Sexuality 260
15 Concluding Adolescence 303
Part IV: Pre-Transition Years
16 Finding Identities 311
Part V: Changing Over
17 A Long Road 349
18 Making the Decision 353
19 Making the Changes 383
20 Coming Out Stories 421
21 Are We There Yet? 447
Contents | vii
Part VI: Life after Transition
22 Nature Calls: Toilet Traumas and Medical Necessities 467
23 The Naked Truth about Sexuality 475
24 Visions of Genders 513
25 Lessons from the Journey 554
Part: VII: Concluding
26 Conclusions and Questions 585
Appendix 611
Notes 627
Bibliography 669
Subject Index 685
Participant Index 693

New Foreword
A
fter twenty years, and a dramatic—though still far from com-
plete—shift in public attitudes toward transsexual people, one might
imagine that more would be known about those of us who transition
from female to male, or somewhere in-between. One might also be quite
surprised to learn that there is still a mysterious fog obscuring transsex-
ual or transgender men from public view. Is it “passing privilege?” That
is, the fact that many trans men are simply seen as men, possibly because
testosterone is quite effective in masculinizing various physical features so
that most people simply don’t notice us? Don’t forget that the appearance
standards for men in North America are much less demanding than those
for women, so we don’t have much of a challenge in that department
(which can be a great relief!).
We have our insecurities, some of which play out in the kinds of re-
lationships we choose. Sometimes trans men attach ourselves to abusive
partners, or partners who are not “good for us” in various ways. Some of
us struggle with substance abuse, persistently using something to obliter-
ate the frustration of being unable to fully live the life we’re looking for,
perhaps because of economic deprivation, or because of bad reactions to
testosterone, or failed surgery. And others live “perfect” lives; with won-
derful, supportive, and loving partners with whom we are truly equal,
with good jobs and retirement benefits, and the ability to own property;
with good relationships with our children, who are intelligent, kind, eth-
ical, and responsible. And others are unable to find steady work, strug-
gling from day to day and terrified of becoming homeless. How does this
happen? Can we blame all our problems on transsexualism? I don’t think
so. These kinds of things happen to anyone. It’s the luck of the draw. But
because no one’s gotten the message yet that trans men are living and dy-
ing among us, we have to remind the reader that we exist, that we have a
few needs that are unique, but that for the most part, we are pretty much
like other people, like other ordinary men, or like androgynous men (or
even women), or like the boys we wished we could have been when we
ix