Trans man

A trans man (sometimes trans-man or transman) is a transgender person who was assigned female at birth but whose gender identity is that of a man. The label of transgender man is not always interchangeable with that of transsexual man, although the two labels are often used in this way. Transgender is an umbrella term that includes different types of gender variant people (including transsexual people). Many trans men choose to undergo surgical or hormonal transition, or both (see sex reassignment therapy), to alter their appearance in a way that aligns with their gender identity more appropriately or alleviates gender dysphoria.^[1]

Although the literature indicates that trans men almost exclusively identify as heterosexual,^[2]^[3] trans men, not unlike cisgender men, can identify as any sexuality, such as homosexual, gay, bisexual, pansexual, polysexual, asexual, demisexual, etc., and some trans men might consider conventional sexual orientation labels inadequate or inapplicable to them.^[4]

Terminology

The term trans man is used as a short form for either identity (transsexual man and transgender man).^[5] This commonly referred to as female-to-male (FTM or F2M).^[6] Trans men may identify as transsexual, as transgender, neither, or both.^[7] Transgender man is an umbrella term that may include anybody who was assigned female at birth (called AFAB), but identifies as male.^[8] For instance, some androgynous, bigender, and genderqueer people might identify as transgender.^[5] Because transgender is an umbrella term, it can be imprecise and does not always describe specific identities and experiences.^[9] Transmasculine is a general term for individuals who were assigned female at birth but identify on the male side of the gender spectrum.^[10]^[11]

The term transsexual originated in the medical and psychological communities. However, unlike the term transgender, transsexual is not an umbrella term, and many transgender people do not identify as such.^[7] Transsexual is a term for AFAB (assigned female at birth) and AMAB (assigned male at birth) people alike who feel their sex organs do not reflect their gender and have chosen to change some aspect of their body; it is an older term, with GLAAD stating that it is "still preferred by some people who have permanently changed - or seek to change - their bodies through medical interventions (including but not limited to hormones and/or surgeries)."^[7] The transgender community sometimes uses the term passing to describe a transgender person's ability to appear as the gender they identify with.

Transitioning

Originally, the term trans men referred specifically to female-to-male transsexual people who underwent hormone replacement therapy (HRT) or sex reassignment surgery (SRS), or both. The definition of transition has broadened to include theories of psychological development or complementary methods of self-acceptance.^[9]^[12] Many of those who identify as transgender may face gender dysphoria.

Transsexual and transgender men may seek medical interventions such as hormones and surgery to make their bodies as congruent as possible with their gender presentation. However, many transgender and transsexual men cannot afford or choose not to undergo surgery or hormone replacement therapy.

Many who have not undergone top surgery choose to bind their breasts. There are a few different methods of binding, including using sports bras and specially made binders (which can be vest-type, or wrap-around style). Tape or bandages, although often depicted in popular culture, should never be used for binding as they tighten with wear and compress the ribcage, and could result in injury.^[13]

Some trans men might also decide to pack, to create a phallic bulge in the crotch of clothing. However, this is not universal. Trans men who decide to pack may use anything from rolled up socks to specially made packers, which resemble a penis. Some packers are also created for trans men to be able to urinate through them (stand-to-pee, or STP, devices), or for sexual penetration or other sexual activity (known as "pack-and-play").

Transitioning might involve some or all of the following steps:^[14]

Social transition: using a preferred name and pronouns, wearing clothing seen as gender appropriate, disclosure to family, friends and usually at the workplace/school
Sex reassignment therapy: hormone replacement therapy (HRT), and/or surgery (SRS)^[13]
Legal affirmation: name and (sometimes) sex marker correction in legal identification documents.^[15]^[16]

Being socially accepted as male (sometimes known as passing) may be challenging for trans men who have not undergone HRT and/or surgery.^[15]^[16] Some trans men may choose to present as female in certain social situations (e.g. at work).^[15]^[16] After physical transition, trans men usually live full-time as male.^[15]^[16] However, some transmasculine individuals might choose to use and engage their bodies to be pregnant, birth a baby, and chestfeed.^[10]

Prevalence, identity and relationships

In the United States, the ratio of trans men within the general population is unclear, but estimates range between 1:2,000 and 1:100,000.^[17]^[18]^[19] A U.S. Census Bureau study in 2015 suggests that there were around 58,000 name changes in census records consistent with female to male transgenderism although only 7,500 of these changed their sex coding as well.^[20] In a study by Kara Devaney, entitled Transgender Research Literature Review, it is addressed that the term transgender encompasses a myriad of different and unique identities that do not follow the "normal" rules of gender.

A trans man may be gay, bisexual, pansexual, polysexual, asexual, demisexual, etc., and some trans men consider conventional sexual orientation labels inadequate or inapplicable to them.^[4] The literature commonly indicates that sexual attraction to those of their same gender (e.g., trans men liking men and trans women liking women) is considerably less common among trans men than among trans women; the vast majority of trans men are reported as heterosexual.^[2]^[3]

Some trans men date heterosexual women, while other trans men date queer-identified women; this might be because queer-identified women are less invested in the gender and sexual anatomy of a person when it comes to selecting an intimate partner.^[3] It is also common for trans men to have histories with the lesbian community or to feel that they identify better with that community because of its wide acceptance of gender variance, with a number of trans men having identified as lesbian (often as a "butch lesbian") before realizing that they are instead transgender.^[2]^[3]^[21] Trans men have less success fitting in with and identifying with the gay male community because it tends to be more cisgender-focused and body-focused (especially in terms of being phallocentric); as a result, gay trans men are likelier to partner with each other than with a cisgender gay man.^[3]^[22] There are, however, cases of women being likelier than men to thoroughly question trans men about their motivations for modifying their bodies.^[22]

Some scholars argue against assumptions that trans men are predominantly heterosexual and usually have lesbian histories. In scholars' Ian Irving and Rupert Raj's book Trans Activism in Canada, researchers state, "There is still a common misperception that trans men are largely heterosexual amongst those who conflate gender identity and sexual orientation. It is frequently assumed that trans men are exclusively attracted to women and have lesbian histories prior to transition." They add, "Recent data from the Trans PULSE project (Bauer, Redman, Bradley, & Scheim, 2013) challenge this assumption, with 63 percent of female-to-male spectrum trans people in Ontario reporting non-heterosexual identities and/or past-year sex with trans or non-trans men." They also argue that, based on some research, "many non-trans gay men have welcomed trans men into gay communities and have increasingly recognized trans men as potential sexual and romantic partners."^[23]

Sexual violence

Trans men can be victims of sex crimes, and there are cases where rape has occurred, including with the intention of changing the sexual expressions and/or the sexuality of trans men; this is known as corrective rape. In a 2016 Bangkok Post article, a researcher stated, "Unlike in South Africa, where homophobic rape is rampant, with increasing trends as a large number of men still want to use violence to force trans people to abandon their sexual identity, there are no official surveys or studies about this problem in Thailand. [...] Recently some video clips emerged showing the rape of trans people." Furthermore the article told about two cases of rape of trans men in Thailand, and a claim that "it seems that quite a few people [in Thailand] would say they have heard of, or known about, such cases in their communities".^[24]

Notable trans men

Buck Angel, film-maker, speaker, and advocate^[25]
Jason Robert Ballard, Founder of The Self Made Men and FTM Magazine
Ben Barres, an American neurobiologist who teaches at Stanford University^[26]
Thomas Beatie, an American advocate for transgender rights. Also became famous as the "pregnant man".
Chaz Bono, American author and activist, the only child born out of the marriage of musicians Sonny Bono and Cher^[27]
S. Bear Bergman, American author, poet, and playwright whose gender identity is a main focus of his artwork.
Willmer "Little Ax" Broadnax (1916–1994), African-American hard gospel quartet singer
Balian Buschbaum, German pole vaulter
Alec Butler, Canadian playwright and film-maker
Mauro Cabral, trans and intersex advocate, and co-director of Global Action for Trans Equality
Meryn Cadell, Canadian singer, writer and performance artist
Patrick Califia, writer and poet
Loren Cameron, American photographer, author and activist^[28]
Ryan Cassata, American singer-songwriter, public speaker and transgender activist^[29]
Harry Leo Crawford, Australian convicted murderer
Aaron Devor, Canadian sociologist and sexologist
Axil Cricchio, American author, professor, and activist
Michael Laurence Dillon (1915–1962), physician and author
Robert Eads (1945–1999), subject of documentary Southern Comfort
Reed Erickson (1917–1992), businessman and philanthropist
Jack Bee Garland (1869–1936), American journalist, nurse, and adventurer
Alexander John Goodrum (1960–2002), an African American transgender civil rights activist
Jamison Green, writer and educator^[30]
Alan L. Hart (1890–1962), an American physician who pioneered the use of x-ray photography in tuberculosis detection, and helped implement TB screening programs
Ian Harvie, American stand-up comedian
Katastrophe (Rocco Katastrophe Kayiatos) homo-hop MC^[31]
Andreas Krieger, German shot putter^[32]
William Legault, city councillor, community activist, city of Salem, Massachusetts.
Amos Mac, photographer, writer, publisher, co-founder of Original Plumbing
Trevor MacDonald, health care researcher, author, public speaker
Tiq Milan, writer, public speaker activist, strategic media consultant and currently a national spokesperson for GLAAD
Shannon Minter, attorney
Chris Mosier, American hall of fame triathlete and founder of transathlete.com^[33]
Paul B. Preciado, trans-activist, writer, body philosopher and art curator
Ryan Sallans, trans-activist and public speaker^[34]
Lucas Silveira, rock musician.
Lou Sullivan (1951–1991), American author, biographer and founder of FTM International
Brandon Teena (1972–1993), a victim of a hate crime, subject of the film Boys Don't Cry
Billy Tipton (1914–1989), an American jazz pianist and saxophonist^[35]
Del Lagrace Volcano, performer and photographer^[36]
Cameron Thomas Whitley, scholar, activist, author and artist^[37]
Max Wolf Valerio, poet, writer and performer^[38]
Stephen Whittle, Professor of Equalities Law in the School of Law at Manchester Metropolitan University, and an active member of the United Kingdom TransActivist organisation Press for Change
Kortney Ryan Ziegler, film-maker and scholar
Cidny Bullens, American singer/songwriter/recording artist
Jacob Nash, trans-activist, public speaker, trainer, professor and writer. Became known for his marriage case in Ohio. In re Nash.
Jack Knoxville, First transgender politician to run for mayor, Knoxville, TN. Jack is also a writer, activist, and entrepreneur.^[39]

Films

My Dearest Senorita, 1972, Spain, drama
Just Call Me Kade, 2002, USA, documentary ^[40]
Boys Don't Cry, 1999, USA, drama (based on real story)
Southern Comfort, 2001, USA, documentary
TransGeneration, 2005, USA, documentary miniseries
Transparent, 2006, USA, documentary
Pick Up the Mic, 2006, USA, documentary (features two FTM artists)
Gender Rebel, 2006, USA, documentary^[41]
Mom, I Didn't Kill Your Daughter, 2007, Israel, documentary^[42]
Enough Man, 2006, USA, documentary ^[43]
Boy I Am, 2006, USA, documentary ^[44]
Pregnant Man, 2008, USA, documentary about Thomas Beatie in the final weeks of his pregnancy and the birth of his first child, Susan^[45]
My Friend from Faro, 2008, Germany, drama
STILL BLACK: a portrait of black transmen, 2008, USA, documentary about black trans men^[46]
Gender Resignner, 2010, documentary^{[citation needed]}
Becoming Chaz, 2011, USA, documentary about Chaz Bono's transition^[47]
Romeos, 2011, Germany, drama
Facing Mirrors, 2011, Iran, drama
52 Tuesdays, 2013, Australia, drama
Mr. Angel, 2013, USA, documentary about Buck Angel's life^[48]
About Ray, 2015, USA, drama

References

^ Bariola, Emily (October 2015). "Demographic And Psychosocial Factors Associated With Psychological Distress And Resilience Among Transgender Individuals". ebscohost. American Journal of Public Health. Retrieved 25 October 2015.
^ ^a ^b ^c Michael Shankle (2013). The Handbook of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Public Health: A Practitioner's Guide to Service. Routledge. p. 175. ISBN 1136573550. Retrieved January 10, 2016.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e Principles and Practice of Sex Therapy, Fifth Edition. Guilford Publications. 2014. p. 252. ISBN 1462513891. Retrieved January 10, 2016. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |authors= ignored (help)
^ ^a ^b "Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Definitions | Resources | Human Rights Campaign". Hrc.org. Retrieved 2015-02-22.
^ ^a ^b "what are Answers to Your Questions About Transgender Individuals and Gender Identity". APA. Retrieved Jan 26, 2015.
^ Swann, William (10 February 2015). "Fusion With The Cross-Gender Group Predicts Genital Sex Reassignment Surgery". ebscohost. Archives of Sexual Behavior. Retrieved 25 October 2015.
^ ^a ^b ^c [1]^{[dead link]}
^ Carabez, Rebecca (12 August 2015). "Does Your Organization Use Gender Inclusive Forms? Nurses' Confusion About Trans* Terminology". ebscohost. Journal of Clinical Nursing. Retrieved 25 October 2015.
^ ^a ^b "Hudson's Guide: FTM Basics: Terminology". Ftmguide.org. Retrieved 2015-02-22.
^ ^a ^b MacDonald, Trevor; Noel-Weiss, Joy; West, Diana; Walks, Michelle; Biener, MaryLynne; Kibbe, Alanna; Myler, Elizabeth (16 May 2016). "Transmasculine individuals' experiences with lactation, chestfeeding, and gender identity: a qualitative study". BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth. 16 (1): 1–17. doi:10.1186/s12884-016-0907-y.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: unflagged free DOI (link)
^ "the definition of transmasculine". Dictionary.com. Retrieved 2016-09-08.
^ "Glossary". Huc.edu. Retrieved 2015-02-22.
^ ^a ^b Merrigiola, Maria Cristina and Giulia Gava (24 March 2015). "Endocrine Care Of Transpeople Part I. A Review Of Cross-Sex Hormonal Treatments, Outcomes And Adverse Effects In Transmen". Ebscohost. Clinical Endocrinology. Retrieved 25 October 2015.
^ [2] Archived July 25, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Transgender emergence: therapeutic guidelines for working with gender-variant people and their families (2004), Arlene Istar Lev, Routledge, ISBN 0-7890-2117-X, 9780789021175.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d "The Misconception of 'Sex' In Title VII: Federal Courts Reevaluate Transsexual Employment Discrimination Claims" (2008), Amanda S. Eno, Tulsa Law Review, Spring, 2008, 43 Tulsa L. Rev. 765, University of Tulsa.
^ "Estimating the Prevalence of Transsexualism". Ai.eecs.umich.edu. Retrieved 2015-02-22.
^ Joanne Herman (2006-05-11). "There are more of us than you think". Advocate.com. Retrieved 2015-02-22.
^ [3] Archived May 20, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
^ Likely Transgender Individuals in U.S. Federal Administrative Records and the 2010 Census Census.gov
^ Encyclopedia of Lesbian and Gay Histories and Cultures. Taylor & Francis. 2003. p. 776. ISBN 1135578702. Retrieved January 10, 2016. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |authors= ignored (help)
^ ^a ^b Kristen Schilt (2010). Just One of the Guys?: Transgender Men and the Persistence of Gender Inequality. University of Chicago Press. p. 153. ISBN 0226738078. Retrieved January 10, 2016.
^ Trans Activism in Canada: A Reader. Canadian Scholars' Press. 2014. p. 248. ISBN 1551305372. Retrieved January 10, 2016. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |authors= ignored (help)
^ http://www.bangkokpost.com/opinion/opinion/976353/trans-community-still-faces-violence
^ [4] Archived July 8, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
^ "Does Gender Matter? by Ben A Barres". Nature.com. Retrieved 2013-05-18.
^ Wilson, Cintra (2011-05-06). "Chaz Bono, Reluctant Role Model". The New York Times.
^ Cameron, Loren (1996). Body Alchemy. Cleis Press. ISBN 1-57344-062-0.
^ "Ryan Cassata". Ryan Cassata. Retrieved 2013-05-18.
^ Web Easy Professional Avanquest Publishing USA, Inc. (2013-03-01). "Home". Jamisongreen.com. Retrieved 2013-05-18.
^ "History of Rap Music". KatastropheRap. Retrieved 2013-05-18.
^ "Price Request - BuyDomains". Ftma.net. Retrieved 2015-02-22.^{[permanent dead link]}
^ "Chris Mosier Launches Transathlete.com". Outsports.com. Retrieved 13 February 2015.
^ RyanSallans.com (2013-01-18). "FTM: Scouting the Unknown". RyanSallans.com. Retrieved 2013-05-18.
^ Middlebrook, Diane Wood (1999). Suits Me: The Double Life of Billy Tipton. Mariner Books. ISBN 978-0-395-95789-9.
^ "dellagracevolcano". Dellagracevolcano.com. Retrieved 2013-05-18.
^ http://www.amazon.com/Cameron-T.-Whitley/e/B009QDFH46
^ Valerio, Max Wolf (2006). The Testosterone Files. Seal Press. ISBN 978-1-58005-173-6.
^ [5] Former Wall of Tolerance Award Recipient for work in abolishing sodomy laws of SC, First transgendered mayoral candidate for Knoxville, TN, 2015,
^ "Just Call Me Kade". YouTube. 2012-08-30. Retrieved 2015-01-29.
^ "Gender Rebel". Discovery Health. 2006.
^ "Mom, I Didn't Kill Your Daughter". San Francisco Jewish Film Festival. 2008. Archived from the original on 2015-04-02. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
^ [6] Archived July 22, 2014, at the Wayback Machine
^ "Boy I Am (2006)". IMDb.com. Retrieved 22 February 2015.
^ "Pregnant Man". September Films. 2008.
^ "Still Black: A Portrait of Black Transmen (2008)". IMDb.com. Retrieved 22 February 2015.
^ "Becoming Chaz (2011)". IMDb.com. Retrieved 22 February 2015.
^ [7]^{[dead link]}

External links

Template:Dmoz
Medical Therapy and Health Maintenance for Transgender Men: A Guide For Health Care Providers free ebook, ISBN 0-9773250-0-8
TransGuys.com The Internet's Magazine for Trans Men.
FTM International An organization serving the female-to-male trans community.
Original Plumbing magazine Quarterly magazine with online component focusing on culture and diversity in the trans male community.