tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5573426.post7294099558128131527..comments2024-02-20T15:17:48.594+11:00Comments on A.E.Brain: AutogynephiliaZoe Brainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13712045376060102538noreply@blogger.comBlogger38125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5573426.post-64662684017311951152009-05-03T23:45:00.000+10:002009-05-03T23:45:00.000+10:00Hi Hontas, long time no hear from.
I've just fini...Hi Hontas, long time no hear from.<br /><br />I've just finished reading through <A HREF="http://www.scientificblogging.com/jmichaelbailey/transsexual_smokescreen_ignoring_science_in_the_man_who_would_be_queen" REL="nofollow">this brouhaha</A>.<br /><br />Gosh.<br /><br />I've yet to coalesce my thoughts on the subject but... and my wording is poor here and will no doubt change to something not full of inaccuracy....<br /><br />Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity are weakly correlated. That doesn't mean no correlation, far from it. They absolutely are. But I think it's a case of different areas in the brain conforming more, or less, to a masculine stereotype or a feminine stereotype, and that a common cause will affect multiple areas much of the time, but not universally.<br /><br />I'd refer you to Ronnie Drantz on this one.<br /><br />In terms of sexual arousal seeing oneself as a man, or a woman, I gave up trying to see myself as anything other than a woman in my dreams around age 25. By then, my success rate was at best 1 in 10, even though I had some control over my consciously recalled dreams. I can't say I was particularly aroused as either though. Just more comfortable.<br /><br />I never did manage to accomplish the "mental gymnastics" many other women with masculinised genitalia did. I was anorgasmic, though capable of physical arousal.<br /><br />The new improved configuration cured that, there was no longer the impression that sensations were coming from areas my brain insisted didn't exist. How would you like it if someone shook your hand - the one growing out of the middle of your back? True cognitive dissonance, the sensations real, but the wrongness too distracting.<br /><br />Then there's the whole thing about my sexual orientation shifting from asexual and psychologically lesbian to sexual and straight. Some of which can be explained by psychology, but some of which can best be explained by hormonally induced changes to the brain, especially the sense of smell.<br /><br />But it's nearly midnight, I have to get to bed as I'm driving my son to school tomorrow. More later.Zoe Brainhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13712045376060102538noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5573426.post-67035495259747109722009-05-03T13:50:00.000+10:002009-05-03T13:50:00.000+10:00Hontas Farmer-
You're trying, I guess. And you ca...Hontas Farmer-<br /><br />You're trying, I guess. And you came so close. So very very close. It was staring at you in the face.<br /><br /><I>There are some holes in this study. Moser points out small sample size, and discusses most of the others in an intellectually honest and forthright manner. Though I think he missed this one. There is an assumption that administering the same sexual arousal related question to males and females and getting the same answers means the same things.</I>But you just couldn't take that one, itsy bitsy lil next logical step, could you? Ok... I'll take it for you. Here tis, ya ready?<br /><br />The exact same problem plagued Blanchard's original study. <br /><br />If we don't know how the cisgendered women in the new study were interpreting the questions... how do we know how the transwomen were interpreting them?<br /><br />See, the real question isn't whether "aytogynephilia" exists in cisgendered women. The real question is whether it was ever defined rigorously enough to be useful in any meaningful way. As I pointed out to you previously over on feministing, the questions were simply too poorly worded to draw any meaningful conclusions about anything. (And that's not even bringing in the other two serious flaws- the selection criteria were too broad and the subjects were Blanchard's own clients who had an extremely strong incentive to tell him whatever he wanted to hear to get his permission for medical treatment). <br /><br />Oh, and here's another funny lil thing:<br /><br /><I>The transactivist have had a tendency to insult those transwomen who came out as autogynephilic such as Lawrence and Arune.</I>If you look farther up the thread, you may notice someone going by "autogynephiliac?" who's posted here and a couple other threads. Funny thing, no one has insulted or otherwise criticized her for claiming autogynephilia. My guess would be it's because she has yet to demonstrate a creepy obsession with blanketing everyone else with autogynephilia, act like an obnoxious passive-aggressive narsicist, or be the object of multiple similar accusations from unconnected poeple regarding extremely inappropriate sexual behavior towards unwilling victims. But that's just one theory.Boonoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5573426.post-17212123830094576922009-05-03T13:27:00.000+10:002009-05-03T13:27:00.000+10:00So, can we just admit we are all who we are... and...<I>So, can we just admit we are all who we are... and that Bailey, for all his unflattering portrayals, was basically telling the truth?</I>Of course we can. As soon as we admit that all black men want to rape white women, all jews are greedy swindlers, and asians can't drive. <br /><br />Seriously, Cloudy, you really need to get out more. There are teenaged transdykes out there whether you want them to exist or not. Of course we can all identify "those people." But, see, if you wanna pretend this is science, you're going to need something just a tad more rigorous.Boonoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5573426.post-9254673487157486672009-05-02T15:08:00.000+10:002009-05-02T15:08:00.000+10:00Hey there Zoe_B
Here is what I had to say about D...Hey there Zoe_B<br /><br />Here is what I had to say about Dr "Autogynephilia in women". <br /><br />http://www.scientificblogging.com/quantum_gravity/blog/according_moser_autogynephilia_women_what_could_meanHontas Farmerhttp://www.scientificblogging.com/hfarmernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5573426.post-61310560301374498732009-05-01T17:37:00.000+10:002009-05-01T17:37:00.000+10:00It is an essential part of AGP theory that there b...It is an essential part of AGP theory that there be no exceptions to the two classes. That two classes exist is not in serious question. That they are the only two classes, and that there is a hard divide between them, contradicts the facts.<br /><br />Example - me. I'm attracted to guys (now), I first dressed in female attire only 3 weeks before going fulltime. But did so at age 47, and am a Computer Scientist with a military background.<br /><br />According to AGP theory, I cannot exist.Zoe Brainhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13712045376060102538noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5573426.post-74280602770945453832009-05-01T14:17:00.000+10:002009-05-01T14:17:00.000+10:00> Can we just stop being in denial? And learn t...> Can we just stop being in denial? And learn to accept that being different is "OK"?<br /><br />Even Blanchards data was not clear enough to show real evidence for that. When I look around I see all combinations of sexual orientation, inherent feminity, age at transition, and source of income. <br /><br />I think you am the one in denial, and should start to celebrate difference - in opposition to binary thinking.<br /><br />PS: I never say Autogynephilia to the extend of body modification doesn't exist. We have Anne Lawrence for a start, and I came to personally know one "chaser" who later on started to modificate hir body.Bad hair dayshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02074719911527566883noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5573426.post-56005852721655978902009-05-01T10:40:00.000+10:002009-05-01T10:40:00.000+10:00Do we take this seriously?
Of course we take this...Do we take this seriously?<br /><br />Of course we take this seriously! Why? Because of two things. First, it fits our own observations of a lifetime... in my case, 34 years since transition at age 17, many of those years fighting in the trenches for trans-rights, for both types. Second, because the science backs it up. The data is solid. There are two types of transfolk... one that is the extreme of feminine homosexuality continuum... and one that is the extreme of heterosexual to bisexual cross-dressing (autogynophilic) continuum.<br /><br />It is indeed hard to define autogynophilia... but like porn, we know it when we see it. Like the guy I saw wearing a dress in the town square one day... I could tell he was getting off... but I couldn't tell you how I knew it.<br /><br />But, how about the older transwoman who admits that she got an erection the first time she was out in public and a shop clerk called her "Ma'am"? If that's not autogynophilia, I don't know what to call it!<br /><br />Autogynophilia in women? I read the Moser paper. I can imagine women answering yes... as I can imagine answering yes myself... as in, getting ready to go out on a hot date with a cute guy will turn me on too! But then, so too would a straight man find getting ready to go out on a hot date with a sexy woman, as research has shown that his testosterone levels increase in anticipation.<br /><br />So, yes, Virgina, Some of us *do* take this stuff seriously... why? Because we have seen that it is true in our daily interactions with both types, which are *very* easily discernable, at least to those of us who are "homosexual transsexuals" (I too wish we had a better word for either type.) Or to my husband the first time I introduced him to other tranwomen.<br /><br />But, here's the thing. I don't think that being autogynophilic is "bad". In fact, I think it is good. Just don't trash us, "early transitioning", "sex crazed", "boy crazy" tranny girls when we don't have the same ideas of what it *means* to be a tranny.<br /><br />(Oh... BTW, I have sex with my husband two or three times a week, more than I did with my boyfriends when I was 19 and pre-op.)<br /><br />So, can we just admit we are all who we are... and that Bailey, for all his unflattering portrayals, was basically telling the truth? That Blanchard was only continuing research from his mentor, Kurt Freund, who was only continuing reasearch from yet others... and that the Dutch researcher have recently also shown that they were right? Can we just stop being in denial? And learn to accept that being different is "OK"?<br /><br />Hugs to all...<br /><br />CloudyAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5573426.post-67397475362649359342009-04-30T20:21:00.000+10:002009-04-30T20:21:00.000+10:00Bailey has a history of provoking. The pro eugnic ...Bailey has a history of provoking. The pro eugnic manifest when it comes to homosexuality or the "Gay, straight or lying" thing on bisexuals.Bad hair dayshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02074719911527566883noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5573426.post-90732683863619451502009-04-29T20:46:00.000+10:002009-04-29T20:46:00.000+10:00An article I read sometime ago pointed out that wh...An article I read sometime ago pointed out that when a scientist descends into true crackpotery it is usually not by coming out with some novel and crazy idea by by untertaking a stubborn last ditch defence of an old idea which everyone else is abandoning because evidence is accumulating against it. Blanchard and Bailey's concept of autogynephillia fits this description perfectly. It is an attempt to continue to frame mental health issues in terms of purely psychoanalytic concepts As we get to know more about brain structure we can point to more and more of these problems as being due to identifable brain abnomalities. The current most likely explanations of transsexuality are examples of this.<br /><br />Also of course ego gets involved in this. I have seen Bailey described as someone who sees himself as a taboo breaker. Cold he be playing that role and have th scandal and outrage caused as something that attracts him to this idea?Lloyd Flackhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00832519369660328832noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5573426.post-3544064990777647252009-04-27T00:33:00.000+10:002009-04-27T00:33:00.000+10:00"If you don't mind me asking, what did you cry abo..."If you don't mind me asking, what did you cry about?"<br /><br />Some days i just felt i was a girl, should be a girl, other times i was able to crush such notions down so that they slipped from conscious awareness and other days i was fine with being a boy.<br /><br />It seemed to cycle, sometimes strong and othertimes seemingly gone. All of which occurred before puberty. <br /><br />I managed to block it out of my mind and forget about it sometimes for many months only for it to all come back suddenly in a painful flood of emotion before I could trick myself into believing i had never felt that way.<br /><br />It grew stronger over time as it seems many repressions do until i could no longer ignore and deny it.<br /><br />Trouble is such ideas don't match peoples pet theories.<br /><br />I have to be some sort of ultimate sex-fiend... obsessing on myself as the ultimate sex object for my own self gratification even at the age of three or four when attending ballet classes.<br /><br />And/or be some sort of sexist uber-patriarch, swilling beer, watching sports and treating women as dirt yet wearing a dress.<br /><br />Or be obsessed with a sexist 50's stepford wives hyper-femininity despite still enjoying sword-based martial arts (only left with tai-chi these days though as my disability prevents fast-paced fencing anymore).<br /><br />Or be some kind of deceiving predator out to trick my way into peeping at women or girls in bathrooms or trick men into gay sex.<br /><br />Or be a liar as its not meant to be possible for me to exist outside of these stereotypes.<br /><br />But I do.Battybattybatshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18030389503526882755noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5573426.post-83050388856912077842009-04-26T13:09:00.000+10:002009-04-26T13:09:00.000+10:00Battybattybats,
"When I cried myself to sleep as ...Battybattybats,<br /><br />"When I cried myself to sleep as a pre-pubescant child it was not about kinky turn-ons."<br /><br />If you don't mind me asking, what did you cry about?autogynephiliac?noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5573426.post-16290396955236031392009-04-25T22:55:00.000+10:002009-04-25T22:55:00.000+10:00"Oh, I know the "party line" is to deny stuff, and..."Oh, I know the "party line" is to deny stuff, and talk about being "bi-gender" and "non-sexual" but that doesn't fool anyone."<br /><br />Clearly you have NO IDEA then.<br /><br />Because the 'party line' is in fact to keep saying crossdressers are really really different from TSs. And to say they are all 'still men' and that the desire is 'just sexual' so as to maintain self-delusion and/or placate the cis-gender transphobic fears of the wives of CDs that their husbands will be gay bi or TS.<br /><br />See thats why older organisations like Tri-Ess kick out or marginalise gay, bisexual and transitioning people. All to keep mainatining the falsehoods of how all CDs are straight and won't ever transition blah blah blah because of fears of wives reactions.<br /><br />Your the one buying the 'party line'. The propaganda of the homophobic and very much transphobic CDs of the past.<br /><br />Your also ignoring the many cultures where crossdressing has not been taboo and yet where it still occurs/ed. <br /><br />Your right now in the embarassingly ridiculous position of telling the bi-gender crossdresser (namely me because thats the way I currently identify) why they are the way they are, who and what they are, even in direct opposition to my own experiences.<br /><br />Because they don't match your pet theory your implying i'm a liar.<br /><br />And right now, having painfully snapped a nail just a couple days ago and being busy working on an artwork about transphobia and violent oppression of diversity for a local art competition I'm really not in the mood for being subtle.<br /><br />No Just Jennifer, crossdressing is NOT all about sex. Even for those for whom it is a self-described factor thats usually only early on, like i mentioned, when in deep denial and extremely repressed. Once they gain more self-acceptance and more freedom to express their femininity what you keep imagining to be the primary motivation ceases to have any direct connection.<br /><br />But of course that doesn't fit your desperate need to deride CDs and and to deride some TG folk by comparing them to your srawman-CDs.<br /><br />It's one of those classical 'othering' behaviours where one person tries to tell the other what the others own experiences were, motivations are and all the rest.<br /><br />When I cried myself to sleep as a pre-pubescant child it was not about kinky turn-ons.<br /><br />If my experiences and those of many CDs I know on and offline don't match your precious notion then its your pet theory thats in error.<br /><br />Just like Blanchards.Battybattybatshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18030389503526882755noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5573426.post-68221626487120824182009-04-25T09:40:00.000+10:002009-04-25T09:40:00.000+10:00Actually, autogynephilia is easily defined.I'm sur...<I>Actually, autogynephilia is easily defined.</I>I'm sure you could come up with an easy definition for it, but then it wouldn't be autogynephilia, it would be your own definition. Blanchard coined it, but doesn't seem able to define it. <br /><br /><I>But, there are a number of men who develop, later in life, the idea that being a woman would be "fun," "exciting," or even "arousing." They have no history of conflicts over their sex, and will often admit that their desire for surgery is sexually motivated.</I>And the ones who go far enough to get on hormones soon find out it isn't the kick they thought it would be, and stop. Who cares?<br /><br /><I>It is curious, but most of those who show the strongest indication of actually needing surgery (early awareness of being different, easily assimilate as females, etc.) are usually the most willing to follow the rules. It is usually the ones who, for want of a better description, come across as men in dresses, who want to cut corners.</I>So... you don't actually know any of us younger TSs, huh? Pop on over the Genderpeace or Trueselves and drop the idea of getting surgical approval by a committee. See what kind of responses you get.Boonoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5573426.post-32875912744318495422009-04-25T09:06:00.000+10:002009-04-25T09:06:00.000+10:00> are usually the most willing to follow the ru...> are usually the most willing to follow the rules<br /><br />Funny thing, that I didn't follow the (german) rules because I did not want to be a man in dress. (One year real life test before HRT). That and another rule then in place (no treatment before 25) cost me plenty of time of my life.<br /><br />Now go and lick some of the asses of those valuable gatekeepers.Bad hair dayshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02074719911527566883noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5573426.post-51534571115915898382009-04-25T09:02:00.000+10:002009-04-25T09:02:00.000+10:00Actually, autogynephilia is easily defined. What ...Actually, autogynephilia <B>is</B> easily defined. What is bogus in Blanchard's theories is the claim that all transsexuals are either "homosexual" or "autogynephile." Now, I will agree, Blanchard was not interested in facts. He has an agenda, and that is to discredit <B>all</B> transsexuals, period. But, there are a number of men who develop, later in life, the idea that being a woman would be "fun," "exciting," or even "arousing." They have no history of conflicts over their sex, and will often admit that their desire for surgery is sexually motivated.<br /><br />Blanchard's work is largely worthless, but he did provide a nice term for an easily observable behavior.<br /><br />And as I said, SRS is not simply some benign form of cosmetic surgery that carries no consequences. It is far better for doctors to make sure they are doing no harm, regardless of how much some people cannot see that idea.<br /><br />It is curious, but most of those who show the strongest indication of actually needing surgery (early awareness of being different, easily assimilate as females, etc.) are usually the most willing to follow the rules. It is usually the ones who, for want of a better description, come across as men in dresses, who want to cut corners.Just Jenniferhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15011627273687180475noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5573426.post-82048571077198376412009-04-25T08:49:00.000+10:002009-04-25T08:49:00.000+10:00I have know crossdressers through my former work i...I have know crossdressers through my former work in research. And if one reads some of the literature written by crossdressers the things I mention are obvious. Oh, I know the "party line" is to deny stuff, and talk about being "bi-gender" and "non-sexual" but that doesn't fool anyone.<br /><br />And yes, as a "cis-gender woman" I can state that on occasion I have been turned on by the idea of wearing a certain item, mainly because I was excited about how a partner would react.<br /><br />But let's be honest, we both know that is now what crossdressing is about.<br /><br />As I said, if "transphobia" did not exist, neither would most crossdressing. It is the thrill of the forbidden that draws many, if not most.<br /><br />And yes, I read the post.Just Jenniferhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15011627273687180475noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5573426.post-1631140292031517882009-04-24T21:32:00.000+10:002009-04-24T21:32:00.000+10:00How could a woman be sexually aroused by the idea ...<I>How could a woman be sexually aroused by the idea of being "turned into a woman?" That is what autogynephilia is about.</I>One of the (many) mistakes you're making is assuming that "autogynephilia" is something that can be easily defined and identified. What the Moser study indicates isn't that women experience the same kind of arousal that fetishistic crossdressers experience, but that Blanchard doesn't know how to conduct valid, reliable studies on transsexualism. If you bother to go read Blanchard's original study, 7 of the 8 questions on the "Core Autogynephilia Scale" ask not if you've aroused <B>by</B> picturing yourself with various features of feminine anatomy, but if you've ever been aroused <B>while</B> picturing yourself with feminine anatomy. <br /><br />In other words, it isn't clear from Blanchard's actual studies if "autogynephilia" as measured is arousal from the idea of being turned into a woman, as you say, or from the idea of being a woman, as Blanchard conceptualized, or enjoyment of having one's body responded to, or anything else. Even the guy who dreamed it up can't be consistent on what the actual definition is.<br /><br /><I>But too many not only try to find someone who will give them the letters without really holding then to any standards, but also try to avoid even remotely facing the RLT. To me, that is just bizarre and quite foolish.</I>Adults wanting to have control over their own bodies?! The horror! Far better to submit to being controlled and infantalized by our betters.Boonoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5573426.post-9607480673507267462009-04-24T17:03:00.000+10:002009-04-24T17:03:00.000+10:00Just Jennifer.
For someone who is NOT a crossdress...Just Jennifer.<br />For someone who is NOT a crossdresser you seem to presume a lot about them. Things that DO NOT actually match my experiences nor experiences of the community!<br /><br />In other words, you don't know what your on about.<br /><br />Not even remotely.<br /><br />By my experience the majority of self-identified crossdressers are bi-gender identity and non-sexual in their dressing.<br /><br />But in traditional trolling ways you seem to insist on knowing more than the people you allege to discuss about their own experiences.<br /><br />And seeing as I know cis-women who describe being turned-on by wearing certain forms of clothing then your dissmissing their experiences in favour of your theory too.<br /><br />And as for "Now, wouldn't you say that if a behavior leads to suicide, marrriage break-up, loss of family and friends, or murder, is causing problems or discomfort?"<br /><br />No Just Jennifer, as the suffering comes from Transphobia. Just like those exact same problems came from Homophobia. Recognising that fact lead to the de-listing of homosexuality in the DSM!<br /><br />Aww and being gay is sexual too, so even if your FALSEHOOD that crossdressing was purely sexually motivated were true you still lose the point!<br /><br />And on top of that you haven't even read the blogpost your commenting on? Troll much?Battybattybatshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18030389503526882755noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5573426.post-50486839935432011352009-04-24T13:49:00.000+10:002009-04-24T13:49:00.000+10:00Yes, some American gender clinics were pretty bad ...Yes, some American gender clinics were pretty bad as well. At the same time, I think we may well have thrown the baby out with the bathwater. It is now far too easy to find a therapist who will give letters to anyone. I know, I saw one for a period. And that person actually did more harm than good. <br /><br />In the end, I went through a program that requires a committee to review the case. The vote was unanimous in favor of my having surgery. But too many not only try to find someone who will give them the letters without really holding then to any standards, but also try to avoid even remotely facing the RLT. To me, that is just bizarre and quite foolish.Just Jenniferhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15011627273687180475noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5573426.post-14809710459661575762009-04-24T13:44:00.000+10:002009-04-24T13:44:00.000+10:00Battybattybats, while I haven't read the article i...Battybattybats, while I haven't read the article in question, the idea behind it is, quite frankly, absurd. How could a woman be sexually aroused by the idea of being "turned into a woman?" <B>That</B> is what autogynephilia is about. Quite frankly, it is an extension of the things that arouse a transvestite or crossdresser, just carried to a new extreme<br /><br />Yes, women can be aroused by wearing a certain article of clothing. To compare that, beyond the most superficial terms, to crossdressing, is silly. A woman might be aroused by a specific item, where as someone with a fetish is usually aroused by a certain class of items.<br /><br />And when a woman is aroused by wearing an item of clothing, it is not the item itself that leads to the arousal, but the thought of how that item will be perceived by others. Or, well, to be more specific, by what that perception will hopefully lead to.<br /><br />Let me put this in very simple terms. There is a difference between a woman wearing something to be sexy, and a man wearing something (it does not even have to be female clothing) as a substitute for sex.<br /><br />Now, part of the appeal of crossdressing is the sense of the forbidden. Shoot, "transphobia" is a motivation, not just a result.<br /><br />Now, wouldn't you say that <B>if</B> a behavior leads to suicide, marrriage break-up, loss of family and friends, or murder, is causing problems or discomfort?<br /><br />No, you don't find people seeking to quit those things. Maybe that is because people don't do those things for sexual reasons.<br /><br />Now, keep in mind, there is no real connection between crossdressing and true transsexualism. Between it and autogynephilia, perhaps, but that is not really transsexualism.<br /><br />And yes, there have been several studies, and they have found that those who did not have a lifelong issue with their sex are more likely to have regrets. That is, that those who can "take or leave surgery" should go with "leave."Just Jenniferhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15011627273687180475noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5573426.post-5845211658994963432009-04-24T11:12:00.000+10:002009-04-24T11:12:00.000+10:00Just jennifer,
The Cluck (or CAMH as it is now k...Just jennifer, <br /><br />The Cluck (or CAMH as it is now known) is an abberation, but just look at the gender clinics at most major US institutions during the past 40 years. Most of them were just as draconian, just as paternalistic and just as controlling as Blanchard and the Cluck ever were. The problem is that most of those clinics were shut down while the Cluck just kept on keeping on. It's now only the residents of Ontario and Manitoba who are constrained by their Provincial Medical Plans to go to the Cluck and that problem is being worked on.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5573426.post-55702025093200878742009-04-23T14:47:00.000+10:002009-04-23T14:47:00.000+10:00"Sorry Battybattybats, I know some really, really ..."Sorry Battybattybats, I know some really, really want to deny that autogynephilia exists, but there are some who openly admit to having those feelings."<br /><br />Just Jennifer, the blogpost these comments are connected to points out that 'autogynephilia' exists in natal women. Making it a standard form of female sexual experience and rendering your point null and void.<br /><br />Yes there is a sexual component to some TG peoples gender expression but my oh my, there's one to cis-folks gender expression too! In fact clothing and fashion have been known to be related to sex amongst cis-folk for what..... thousands of years isn't it?<br /><br />News-flash: Some cis-women find wearing certain things makes them feel 'sexy'. This is old news Just Jennifer! Really old news.<br /><br />"And whether or not such people are "mentally ill" has more to do with how it affects their lives than anything else."<br /><br />Which is usually due to societies transphobia, fear of societies transphobia and internalised transphobia.<br /><br />"If it does not cause problems or discomfort, then it can be seen as just a curious little hobby."<br /><br />A 'hobby' usually doesn't end in suicide, marriage break-up, loss of family and friends etc or murder.<br /><br />You don't find daily threads on fishing forums from people begging to know how to 'quit' liking fishing. Or on WW2 scale military modelling sites about how difficult it is trying to pretend to be a non-modeller in day to day life. Nor are people into crosstitch fearful that they will be fired if they ever crosstitch in a public space in case someone from work sees them. Or ever hear of cases where miniature wargamers are blackmailed by their wives into signing over the rights to all shared properties owned or she'll tell everyone that they are a miniature wargamer which they fear will ruin their bussiness.<br /><br />I certainly have never heard of a severely disabled wheel-chair bound model railway enthusiest begging desperately for some sort of cure, any sort of cure for their hobby so that they wouldn't have to risk losing their carers by confessing that they have a desperate need to (non-sexually I might add) enjoy their hobby of model railways.<br /><br />"But the sad cases I referred to are those who go too far, and who wind up having surgery and then having regrets. Some are quite vocal in their regrets. Others proclaim loudly that they are very happy, and then proceed to attack anyone who really is successful after surgery."<br /><br />Has there been a proper study into those with regrets that identifies and examines the cause of those regrets or are you merely postulating one?<br /><br />Simply recurrant or reemergent internalised transphobia would be one alternative explanation and I'd be interested in the data that rules it out.<br /><br />"Sex reassignment surgery is not a benign choice that any "transgender person" can make without possible consequences. For some, it is the only choice, and quite frankly, for the rest it is the absolute wrong choice."<br /><br />Again, you are making an assertion of the existence of only two catagories. here's your definitive evidence? Or could it be possible that some folk that can take or leave surgery could be a possible catagory, another could be a group that needs some surgery but not other surgeries and that group would likely have many subdivisions.<br /><br />So then, as those other catagories can easilly be suggested where is the evidence that rules them out?<br /><br />I certainly agree surgery isn't for everyone and also ALL surgery isn't for everyone as most of the FtM TSs I've spoken to have not had and do not intend to get currently available genital surgery.Battybattybatshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18030389503526882755noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5573426.post-705907637756058772009-04-23T13:40:00.000+10:002009-04-23T13:40:00.000+10:00I have to agree, the gender clinic at Clarke, espe...I have to agree, the gender clinic at Clarke, especially under Blanchard, has been a house of horrors for years. I read a book by him some years ago which gave some details of the approach there. I remember things like derisive remarks about patients, ridiculous requirements, and them providing such ridiculously low dosages of hormones that there was no hope of them providing any benefit for the patient, even if they have been castrated. And then, they had the audacity to make the claim that hormones did really do anything for transsexuals. And if you wonder how low these dosages were...well, check out the levels in a birth control pill. That is what they were prescribing. Thank God I don't live in Canada, and thank God we don't have such an abusive system here.Just Jenniferhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15011627273687180475noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5573426.post-59893090935144549982009-04-23T13:26:00.000+10:002009-04-23T13:26:00.000+10:00What has always seemed to be the flaw with autogyn...What has always seemed to be the flaw with autogynephilia as a hypothesis is that it fails to acknowledge that while transsexuals do not necessarily transition for sexual reasons, that does not mean that we are not sexual beings.<br /><br />The great irony of it is that Blanchard actually had struck one of the most interesting aspects of the transsexual experience - that of how gender and sexual identity intersect. <br /><br />Unfortunately, he made the classic error of using sexual identity to define gender identity - even in the face of all the evidence before him to the contrary.MgShttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11183962674882855323noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5573426.post-26686539765080903842009-04-23T10:21:00.000+10:002009-04-23T10:21:00.000+10:00sumptos devil s advocate,
I have it directly from...sumptos devil s advocate,<br /><br />I have it directly from the source: women he turned down for surgery and women he approved. It's well known in the trans community across Canada that that was the way you got approved for surgery at the Cluck. He built a self-perpetuating lie and kept himself blind to its failings because that would bring his entire house of cards tumbling down around his ears. There is a great deal more evidence available over at <A HREF="http://www.tsroadmap.com/search/index.html?domains=www.tsroadmap.com&q=blanchard&sa=Google+Search&sitesearch=www.tsroadmap.com&client=pub-2616548839498936&forid=1&channel=9417246791&ie=ISO-8859-1&oe=ISO-8859-1&flav=0003&sig=Xg_7lNALb-Xv3G_4&cof=GALT%3A%23008000%3BGL%3A1%3BDIV%3A%23336699%3BVLC%3A663399%3BAH%3Acenter%3BBGC%3AFFFFFF%3BLBGC%3A336699%3BALC%3A0000FF%3BLC%3A0000FF%3BT%3A000000%3BGFNT%3A0000FF%3BGIMP%3A0000FF%3BFORID%3A11&hl=en" REL="nofollow">TS Roadmap</A>.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com