Autogynephilia:

Dr. Barbara Anderson introduced the theory of autogynephilia in the April 9 edition of Transgender Forum as a new way of thinking about the male-to-female experience. Autogynephilia, which means, "the love of one's self as a woman," was proposed by Ray Blanchard, M.D., of the Toronto Clarke Institute in 1989 to explain the cause of transsexualism among MtFs who are not sexually attracted to men. It has been recently endorsed by some members of the transgender community, including Seattle clinical sexologist Anne Lawrence, M.D., Ph.D. [1], and has become an issue of impassioned controversy.

Autogynephilia, on the merits of reason and evidence, seems to fall short of scientific credibility. In a social and historical context, autogynephilia joins a long litany of medical myths and stereotypes that reduce our rich capacity for gender diversity to mere sexual perversion.

In his 1989 paper, "The Classification and Labeling of Nonhomosexual Gender Dysphorias," Dr. Blanchard stated:"All gender dysphoric males who are not sexually oriented toward men are instead sexually oriented toward the thought or image of themselves as women"

This presents an astonishing presumption that "all" MtFs who are not attracted to men are incapable of healthy sexual relationships with women. It implies that gender dysphoria is fundamentally different for those of us attracted to women than it is for those of us attracted to men. In reality, there are a great many caring, sexually functional relationships between MtFs and female partners. Not all transgender people suffer gender dysphoria, but those of us who do represent the entire spectrum of sexual orientations.

Blanchard's research methodology was limited to his clinical population at the Clarke Institute and thus failed to include a broad cross-section of functional, well-adjusted transgender people in the real world. It is reminiscent of studies, before the 1970s, that portrayed all gays and lesbians as mentally ill based on subjects only from hospitals and prisons.

Blanchard went on to postulate not only that all "nonhomosexual" TGs are fetishists, but that their gender dysphoria is caused by sexual fetishism. This represents a tremendous leap of logic on several counts: (1) most gender dysphoric people feel more relaxed and at ease in their preferred gender role whether sexually aroused or not; (2) many gender dysphoric people pursue hormones which suppress their sex drive and function; and (3) the most intensely dysphoric pursue SRS with a risk (though small) of total loss of orgasmic function. Sexual fetishism usually requires an escalating cycle of positive reinforcement through sexual gratification. Gender dysphoria fails to follow this course regardless of sexual orientation.

In the physical sciences, we use the principle of Occam's Razor to separate credible theories from bad science. It states that, all other considerations being equal, simpler theories are much more likely to be true than complex ones. Is "nonhomosexual" (Blanchard's usage) MtF gender dysphoria caused by sexual fetishism? We would have to believe it possible for autoerotic conditioning (masturbation during crossdressing) to compel behaviors (taking cross-sex hormones), which suppress the sexual reinforcement that is needed to sustain the autoerotic conditioning. Moreover, we would have to believe that the same effect, gender dysphoria, comes from not one but two unrelated causes depending upon the sexual orientation of the person. Occam's Razor might be good medicine for the behavioral sciences as well.

A more plausible alternative to the tangled theory of autogynephilia is perhaps an honest admission that the development of gender identity is not yet understood.

[1] reference to Dr. Lawrence's specialty and degrees updated 1-19-02