More selected discussions from the Crossdream Life forum on gender variance and trans issues

Over at Crossdreamers we presented some selected discussions from the Crossdream Life forum for gender questioning, queer and trans people. 

In this post we are sharing some more discussions of general interest, for you to read and the search engines to find.

Thanks to Terrie for making this list.

SELECTED DISCUSSIONS ON GENDER, TRANS AND QUEER ISSUES

Porn is not addictive, Psychology Today argues.
porn-is-not-addictive-psychology-today-argues-t247.html

Are men who are attracted to trans women with penises gay?
are-men-who-are-attracted-to-trans-wome ... i-t14.html

A review of Felix' new ebook on crossdreaming and the art of transgender erotica
a-review-of-felix-new-ebook-on-crossdre ... -t360.html

"How Blanchard nearly killed me"
how-blanchard-nearly-killed-me-t843.html

Anne Lawrence rises from the dead
anne-lawrence-rises-from-the-dead-t913.html

The transgender relevant terms used by the DSM-5-TR, the revised version of the American psychiatric manual

The DSM-5 is published by the Americal Psychiatric Association and includes all kinds of diagnoses relevant to mental health. 

Being transgender is no longer considered a mental illness, but the manual does contain a chapter of gender dysphoria, which is a possible effect of gender incongruence (a mismatch between someone's assigned gender and their experienced gender.) 

The manual also have an interesting introductory chapter, which presents the gender relevant language of American psychiatry right now.

I am taking the liberty of republishing the revised 2022 introduction to the chapter on gender dysphoria here, as it can serve as useful reminder in a time where all kinds of transphobic activists claim that "science" is on their side.

I have reformatted the text to increase legibility. The headlines are mine.

Note that I do not necessarily agree with the use of all of these terms ("disorders of sex development" should have been binned in the same way as "gender identity disorder"), but all in all I think the APA has managed to develop a terminology that encompasses gender variance in both a scientific and socially respectful manner.

Note also that:

• The term “desired gender” is now “experienced gender." 
• The term “cross-sex medical procedure” is now “gender-affirming medical procedure." 
• The term “natal male”/“natal female” is now “individual assigned male/female at birth.”

Finally: The American Psychiatric Association should publish the whole volume for free online, in the spirit of open science and open access. Asking for 170 US$ for a text that has so many ramifications for so many people represents a serious democratic problem.

Here's the introduction to the DSM-5-TR chapter on gender dysphoria.

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Gender dysphoria

In this chapter, there is one overarching diagnosis of gender dysphoria, with separate developmentally appropriate criteria sets for children and for adolescents and adults. 

Biological sex

The area of sex and gender is highly controversial and has led to a proliferation of terms whose meanings vary over time and within and between disciplines. An additional source of confusion is that in English “sex” connotes both male/female and sexuality.

All you need to know about autogynephilia

Some (relatively) easy to read articles on the autogynephilia theory of Ray Blanchard.

The autogynephilia theory has been debunked by both science and the lived lives of real transgender people.  However, since this "theory" fits well with the prejudices of transphobes and homophobes world wide, it is still referred to, in the dark backwaters of social media, and increasingly also elsewhere.

The autogynephilia theory – which argues that trans women who love women are straight men who are in love with their inner female – might easily confirm the internalized homophobia and transphobia of transgender people. Because of this I have had to spend a lot of time debating and deconstructing the theory.

Blanchard's theory is really traditional transphobia masquerading as science. However, since it is presented as science, this give the model much more power than it deserves. It is really bad science.

It is important to note that Blanchard is in no way a disinterested observer of gender identity. He is actively helping TERFs (trans-exclusionary radical feminists) and right wing extremists by writing for the web sites and taking part in their podcasts and videos. This tells us that his real motives are based on bigotry and not a desire to help trans and queer people.

If you, for some reason, find "autogynephilia" or "AGP" mentioned in the transgender debate, here's what you need to know about this and similar beliefs:

The autogynephilia theory explained and dissected

• All you need to know about "autogynephilia"
• "I feel pretty!" (On the "Autogynephilic" Woman and More)
• The Autogynephilia Theory Debunked by New German Study
• New Study Dismisses the Autogynephilia Approach to Transgender
• Julia Serano gives us the perfect antidote to transphobic pseudoscience
• New research shows that gender variance does not follow sexual orientation
• On Moser's critique of Blanchard's autogynephilia theory
• Kourtney Kardashian on "Autogynephilia" in Non-transgender Women
• On women who have sexual fantasies about being men
• The Pseudo-Science of Autogynephilia
• Women's Health Debunks Transphobic Autogynephilia Theory
• What the sexual fantasies of non-transgender people tell us about the dreams of those who are trans
• More than one third of non-transgender people have had crossgender dreams and fantasies
• What Transphobic Norwegian Doctors can Teach Us about the Diversity of Transgender People

On using "autogynephilia" as a transphobic tool of oppression and invalidation:

• What Dr. Zhana Vrangalova Taught Me About Transphobia in Science
• Blanchard and the DSM-V, redefining paraphilia
• Science and Transphobia: Ray Blanchard is Now Assisting White Supremacists. Why?
• Ray Blanchard lied when including autoandrophilia in the DSM-5 proposal
• Ray Blanchard and the Missing Trans Men (The DSM-5)
• The word "paraphilia" does indeed mean "sexual perversion". Don't let the transphobes whitewash their transphobia.
• A Short History of the Roots of Transphobic Science
• How radical feminists are using the autogynephilia theory to persecute trangender people

• For articles on AGP by others, see this list!

What Judith Butler Said about TERFs

Here are the censored paragraphs from Guardian's interview with feminist philosopher Judith Butler:

Gleeson: “It seems that some within feminist movements are becoming sympathetic to these far-right campaigns. This year's furore around Wi Spa in Los Angeles saw an online outrage by transphobes followed by bloody protests organised by the Proud Boys. Can we expect this alliance to continue?”

Butler: “It is very appalling and sometimes quite frightening to see how trans-exclusionary feminists have allied with rightwing attacks on gender. The anti-gender ideology movement is not opposing a specific account of gender, but seeking to eradicate "gender" as a concept or discourse, a field of study, an approach to social power.

Sometimes they claim that if “sex” alone has scientific standing, but other times they appeal to divine mandates for masculine domination and difference. They don't seem to mind contradicting themselves.

The Terfs (trans exclusionary radical feminists) and the so-called gender critical writers have also rejected the important work in feminist philosophy of science showing how culture and nature interact (such as Karen Barad, Donna Haraway, EM Hammonds or Anne Fausto-Sterling) in favor of a regressive and spurious form of biological essentialism. So they will not be part of the coalition that seeks to fight the anti-gender movement.

The anti-gender ideology is one of the dominant strains of fascism in our times. So the Terfs will not be part of the contemporary struggle against fascism, one that requires a coalition guided by struggles against racism, nationalism, xenophobia and carceral violence, one that is mindful of the high rates of femicide throughout the world, which include high rates of attacks on trans and gender queer people.

The anti-gender movement circulates a spectre of "gender" as a force of destruction, but they never actually read any works in gender studies. Quick and fearful conclusions take the place of considered judgments. Yes, some work on gender is difficult and not everyone can read it, so we have to do better in reaching a broader public.

As important as it is, however, to make complex concepts available to a popular audience, it is equally important to encourage intellectual inquiry as part of public life. Unfortunately we are living in anti-intellectual times, and neo-fascism is becoming more normalized.”

See: Feminist philosopher Judith Butler goes up against anti-trans and anti-gender feminists and conservatives

The word "paraphilia" does indeed mean "sexual perversion". Don't let the transphobes whitewash their transphobia.

In some of the online "autogynephilia" debates I come across Blanchard-supporters who tell me that "paraphilia" is a benign term that simply means "unusual". The implicit message is that calling a trans woman "paraphilic" cannot be stigmatizing, as it is an innocent descriptive term. They are wrong.

For those who are unfamiliar with these terms: "autogynephilia" is a term made up by Ray Blanchard, a transphobilc psychologist, who have spent much of his time helping anti-trans activists, arguing that trans women who are attracted to women are suffering from a "paraphilia".

Many of his supporters, some of whom are trans folks who have internalized the transphobia of their society, try desperately to picture him in a more positive view, to the point where they even try to turn into a friend of trans people.

He is not, as I have documented in the article Science and Transphobia: Ray Blanchard is Now Assisting White Supremacists. Why?

Blanchard has never presented "autogynephilia" as anything else but a sexual perversion. And given that his "autogynephilia" is a "paraphilia", his message is, and has always been that gynephilic and bisexual trans women are sexual perverts. It cannot get much more stigmatizing than that.

Here's what he said in an interview with the conservative site National Review:

Kearns: I’m really interested in your work on “paraphilia.” What is the difference between “paraphilia” and, say, a “disorder” or an even older term perhaps, a “perversion”?

Blanchard: Yeah sure, “perversion” was an older label for what’s now called paraphilia. Correct.

Kearns: And is the only difference a linguistic one where the morally loaded connotations of the word are removed? Or is there a substantive difference?

Blanchard: I don’t think there is any substantive difference. I mean the word “pervert” had become part of the lay vocabulary and was routinely used as an insult or as a derogatory comment whether seriously or in jest. Everybody knew the word pervert, had a vague idea of what it meant, and knew that it was something bad. So, the word paraphilia was substituted because it had a nice medical sound to it, and it had not and still has not entered the popular vocabulary as an insult.

Can We Trust Science in the Transgender Debate?

Bigoted science has caused tremendous suffering, here represented with a still form the movie One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. But does this mean that all science is bad?

In my article on the sexologist Ray Blanchard and his embrace of transphobic TERFs and white supremacists, I have made the argument that science, throughout history, has been used by racists, misogynists, homophobes and transphobes to  harass and invalidate marginalized groups. Does this mean that we cannot trust science?

The answer to this question is both yes and no. The fact that something is written in a science paper published in a peer reviewed journal does not make its message true. Ray Blanchard has presented his transphobic theories in such journals.

But then again most recent peer reviewed papers on this topic criticizes his model, and these days the great majority of papers addressing gender variance and gender incongruence are affirming the identities of trans people. Most of these researchers want to help.

Science is a process

Here's the problem: Too many people have a too simplistic understanding of the scientific process. They do not grasp that it is a process. It is a process where ideas and findings are presented and discussed in the scientific community, and where the goal is that this collective process shall end up in some kind of consensus or – at least – clarify what the disagreements are all about.

So, over time, the idea is this community may end up with a clearer understanding of what is really going on.  This means that one single peer review article says something is true, does not prove that it is so. However, if a large number of studies, performed by different scientists at different locations, end up with similar results, the chances are that they are on to something.

Female to Male Crossdreaming in Garden of Desires

Emily Dubberley's collection of female sexual fantasies contains several crossdreamer fantasies, where the respondents dream of being a man, playing the role of a man and/or having a penis.

Here are few relevant excerpts from the book. Note that these texts contain sexually explicit language.

This is a sidebar to the Crossdreamer.com article On women who have sexual fantasies about being men.