Narratives by Autogynephilic Transsexuals

Abstract

The author’s decision to solicit and publish narratives by MtF transsexuals who acknowledged having experienced autogynephilia was prompted by the realization that such first-person accounts were almost nonexistent and the belief that a collection of such accounts would be useful to clinicians and autogynephilic transsexuals themselves. Between 1998 and 2011, the author used her website to solicit narratives by self-identified MtF transsexuals who had experienced autogynephilia. She collected about 470 separate submissions, which yielded relevant, apparently valid narratives by 249 unique MtF transsexual informants and 52 unique nontranssexual autogynephilic men. The author’s criteria for deciding which informants to categorize as transsexual, her rationale for excluding a small number of submissions that were probable fabrications, and general validity concerns are discussed in detail. The author edited the narratives to redact information that could identify informants and to improve clarity and readability. The chapter presents seven complete narratives or extended narrative excerpts by autogynephilic transsexuals of different ages and nationalities, in order to illustrate the range of responses. The author conducted a thematic analysis of the narratives, employing the constant comparative method used in grounded theory; major themes identified in the narratives are presented in summary form.