Men Trapped in Men's Bodies / Focus on Sexuality Research (PDF)

As a child, he played with trucks and action figures and wanted to be a firefighter. As a

youth, he began dressing up in his mother's clothes and becoming sexually aroused. When

he started dating, he dreamed of being his girlfriends. "What am I?" he asked his therapist.

"A transsexual? A transvestite? Something else?"

This vignette describes a man who experiences autogynephilia: a paraphilic disorder in

which men who are attracted to women are also erotically aroused by the idea of being

women and sometimes want to undergo sex reassignment and live as women. Men

Trapped in Men's Bodies explores the phenomenon of autogynephilia, arguing cogently

that it accounts for many cases of male-to-female (MtF) transsexualism in Western

countries. The book demonstrates that not all MtF transsexuals conform to the familiar

stereotype of women trapped in men's bodies: Many resemble-and even describe

themselves as-men trapped in men's bodies. Sometimes at odds with conventional

wisdom about the interrelationships of sex, gender, and sexuality, the book examines

the manifestations and clinical implications of autogynephilia, based on narratives

provided by over 300 autogynephilic MtF transsexuals and transgender persons: stories

of shame and confusion, courage and self-acceptance. The final chapter examines current

and possible future treatment options for autogynephilic gender dysphoric men.

Included in this important volume are:

. Narratives by autogynephilic transsexuals

. Developmental histories of autogynephilic transsexuals

. Descriptions of different types of autogynephilia

. Autogynephilia's relationship to heterosexuality

. Narratives by nontranssexual autogynephiles

. Contrasting views of the meaning of autogynephilia

For researchers whostudy gender dysphoria, MtF transsexualism, paraphilias, and

related conditions, and for clinicians who treat patients with these conditions, Men

Trapped in Men's Bodies provides an essential resource for understanding an underappreciated

aspect of MtF transsexualism. For MtF transsexuals and transgender persons,

as well as their partners, family members, friends, and associates, the book is a welcome

new source of information and validation.