The controversy surrounding "The man who would be queen": a case history of the politics of science, identity, and sex in the Internet age.

Archives of Sexual Behavior
Alice D Dreger

Abstract

In 2003, psychology professor and sex researcher J. Michael Bailey published a book entitled The Man Who Would Be Queen: The Science of Gender-Bending and Transsexualism. The book's portrayal of male-to-female (MTF) transsexualism, based on a theory developed by sexologist Ray Blanchard, outraged some transgender activists. They believed the book to be typical of much of the biomedical literature on transsexuality-oppressive in both tone and claims, insulting to their senses of self, and damaging to their public identities. Some saw the book as especially dangerous because it claimed to be based on rigorous science, was published by an imprint of the National Academy of Sciences, and argued that MTF sex changes are motivated primarily by erotic interests and not by the problem of having the gender identity common to one sex in the body of the other. Dissatisfied with the option of merely criticizing the book, a small number of transwomen (particularly Lynn Conway, Andrea James, and Deirdre McCloskey) worked to try to ruin Bailey. Using published and unpublished sources as well as original interviews, this essay traces the history of the backlash against Bailey and his book. It also provides a thorough exegesis of the book's tre...Continue Reading

References

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Citations

Feb 27, 2008·Archives of Sexual Behavior·Jaimie F VealeTerri C Lomax
Jan 12, 2013·Archives of Sexual Behavior·S Colton MeierJulia Babcock
Oct 4, 2011·Human Nature : an Interdisciplinary Biosocial Perspective·Alice Dreger
Jun 29, 2010·The American Journal of Bioethics : AJOB·Timothy F Murphy
Oct 21, 2009·The Journal of Analytical Psychology·Karol Marshall
Jan 21, 2016·Annual Review of Clinical Psychology·Kenneth J ZuckerBaudewijntje P C Kreukels
Sep 14, 2016·Archives of Sexual Behavior·Kevin J HsuJ Michael Bailey
Jul 26, 2008·Pharmacy World & Science : PWS·Patrik MidlövTommy Eriksson
Oct 28, 2019·Archives of Sexual Behavior·Kevin J Hsu, J Michael Bailey
Jun 13, 2020·Archives of Sexual Behavior·Jenna Ware
Aug 5, 2018·The Journal of Medical Humanities·Stephanie Hsu

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Software Mentioned

HBIGDA
TMWWBQ
ISNA
Transkids

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