Call for Transsexual Narratives (updated February 2008)
I am in the process of writing two articles, both of which (in different ways) will challenge Ray Blanchard’s model of transsexuality. His theory postulates that “all” trans women are motivated to transition for sexual reasons: those who are exclusively attracted to men are described as being “homosexual” transsexuals (who presumably become women in order to attract straight men), and those who are bisexual, lesbian or asexual are labeled “autogynephilic” transsexuals (and are described as being primarily attracted to images of themselves as women). [For more information and insight into Blanchard’s theory and his contentious concept of “autogynephilia,” I highly recommend Madeline H. Wyndzen’s thoughtful collection of essays called Everything You Never Wanted to Know About Autogynephilia (but Were Afraid You had to Ask); her site also contains links to countless other writings on both sides of this debate].

Blanchard’s theory is problematic for a number of reasons, so I am hoping to collect narratives from the transsexual community to refute/challenge three major aspects of his theory (which are described below). I should state for the record that I am not a psychologist, psychiatrist or therapist, and my goal is not to carry out “psychological research” on the trans community. Rather, I am collecting these narratives as an activist for the sole purpose of challenging a theory that many trans people find to be delegitimizing and marginalizing.

Here are the three aspects of Blanchard’s theory that I wish to focus on:

Sex Embodiment Fantasies
As mentioned, Blanchard’s concept of “autogynephilia” makes at least three false presumptions. The first has to do with what I am calling sex embodiment fantasies - sexually arousing fantasies that primarily center on physically being or becoming one's identified sex (i.e., where being in the right body is the main focus, rather than the body of a partner). In discussions that I've had with trans people, I have found that sex embodiment fantasies are common in all pre-transition trans people. However, Blanchard’s theory presumes that lesbian, bisexual, and asexual MTF-spectrum trans people are the *only* trans people who regularly engage in sex embodiment fantasies pre-transition.

In order to counter this oversight, I am hoping to collect applicable narratives from the following groups:

1) FTM transsexuals: narratives that discuss/describe any pre-transition sexual fantasies you may have experienced that primarily centered on you physically being or becoming male rather than on the physique of another person.
(note: narratives from FTM spectrum folks will be particularly helpful for me, since Blanchard’s past studies only ever considered MTF-spectrum folks.)

2) MTF transsexuals who have only ever been attracted to men: narratives that discuss/describe any pre-transition sexual fantasies you may have experienced that primarily centered on you physically being or becoming female rather than on the physique of a male partner.

more info about writing your narrative can be found below

Mistaking Correlation for Causation
Blanchard not only believes that lesbian, bisexual, and asexual MTF-spectrum trans people are the *only* trans people who regularly engage in sex embodiment fantasies (what he calls “autogynephilic” fantasies), but he presumes that these fantasies *cause* gender dysphoria and lead to transsexuality in these individuals. To counter this claim, I am hoping to collect applicable narratives from lesbian, bisexual, and asexual trans women who:

1) never experienced pre-transition sexual fantasies that primarily centered on physically being or becoming female
2) did experience such fantasies, but only after consciously recognizing/realizing that you wanted to be female
3) regularly engaged in such fantasies pre-transition, but then experienced a sharp decline or a complete absence in those fantasies over time. (Note: if you fall into category #3, please include any reasons/explanations as to why such fantasies no longer arouse or appeal to you).

again, more info about writing your narrative can be found below

False Dichotomy Between Trans Women
Blanchard’s theory also conflates/confuses gender identity and expression with sexual orientation. As a result, his theory not only divvys up the trans woman population into two monolithic, mutually-exclusive categories (“homosexual” and “autogynephilic”), but also presumes that:

1) All trans women who were exclusively attracted to men pre-transition:
-have been overtly feminine throughout their lives
-recognized that they wanted to be female during early childhood
-transitioned at a relatively early age
-remain exclusively attracted to men post-transition

2) All trans women who were attracted to women in any way, or were asexual, pre-transition:
-were not be particularly feminine as children
-did not become aware of their desire to be female until puberty or adulthood
-did not transition until later in life

To counter these claims, I am hoping to collect applicable narratives from trans women who are exceptions to these categories in any way.

Writing your Narrative
Narratives should briefly describe the pertinent details in 1 to 4 short paragraphs. There is no need to be overly graphic or detailed - just the basic facts will suffice. Please be sure to include the age at which you first became aware of your cross-gender identity/desire to be the other sex, and the age at which you first experienced such fantasies (if applicable). If your experiences challenge multiple aspects of Blanchard’s theory, please be sure to include all relevant points.

Narratives that are germane to the points I wish to make will be compiled onto a single webpage so that I can reference them in my articles. I can assure you that YOUR NAME AND CONTACT INFO WILL NOT BE PUBLISHED OR SHARED WITH ANYONE. Obviously, other people will be reading these narratives, so be sure to omit any unimportant info that you feel might place your anonymity in jeopardy (e.g., where you live or work, names of partners, etc.)

For those interested, please send your narrative to me at - be sure to paste the narrative into the body of the email (no attachments please). Along with the narrative, please include the following information:
1) whether you are an MTF or FTM transsexual
2) whether you are sexually oriented toward men, women, both or neither (and whether this has changed from your pre-transition orientation)
3) a statement along the following lines: “I certify that all of the provided information is true to the best of my knowledge, and I give Julia Serano permission to permanently post this narrative on her website and to reference and/or excerpt it in her forthcoming articles.”

The purpose of my collecting these narratives is to clarify the psychological literature on this matter, not to distort it further. Therefore, it is of the utmost importance that you be completely honest and open in the information you provide. If I have reason to suspect that any narrative I receive is fabricated, I will not include it.

Feel free to cross-post this call for narratives on any trans-focused websites/email lists at your discretion.

If you have any questions or concerns, feel free to email me at

Thanks in advance!
-julia