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Draft:Transgender sexuality

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This is a not-quite-ground-up rewrite of Transgender sexuality. Please see Talk:Transgender sexuality § An eye toward a rewrite for more information. -- Tamzin[cetacean needed] (she|they|xe)

Sexual orientation

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Make a Transsexualism typology article and split some of this there, then summarize here? -- Tamzin[cetacean needed] (she|they|xe)

Historical conceptions

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Early conceptualizations of queer identity grouped biological sex, gender, gender roles, sexuality, sexual identity, and paraphilia under a common category of "sex". Richard von Krafft-Ebing defined transvestism and sexual inverts as forms of sexual deviance, with same-sex attraction as an earlier phase of a mental condition leading to patients' identity with the opposing birth sex. Work by early 20th century sexologists such as Havelock Ellis and Magnus Hirschfeld saw the decoupling of these categories and the differentiation of transsexuality from homosexuality.[1]

Many sexologists assumed that gender transition would turn subjects heterosexual. Harry Benjamin described his Sex Orientation Scale in his 1966 textbook The Transsexual Phenomenon. The scale was an early transsexualism typology dividing gender disorder patients into transvestites, non-surgical transsexuals, and true transsexuals, the latter distinguished by the patient's position on the Kinsey scale. Benjamin considered heterosexuality and attempts to simulate cisgender sexual roles essential traits of true transsexuals.[2][3] As a result of these conceptions, non-heterosexual trans people generally described themselves as heterosexual in order to gain access to treatment.[3]

Although there were earlier descriptions of trans people living as homosexuals of their identified gender, academic research into what was termed "transhomosexuality" began to emerge in the 1980s.[4]

In the DSM-II, released in 1968, "transsexualism" was within the "paraphilias" category, and no other information was provided.[5] In the DSM-III-R, released in 1987, the category of "gender identity disorder" was created, and "transsexualism" was divided into "asexual", "homosexual", "heterosexual" and "unspecified" sub-types.[6] In the DSM-IV-TR, released in 2000, "transsexualism" was renamed "gender identity disorder". Attraction specifications were to male, female, both, or neither, with specific variations dependent on birth sex.[7] In the DSM-V, released in 2013 and currently used in the United States and Canada, "gender identity disorder" is now "gender dysphoria", and attraction specifications are either gynephillic or androphillic.[8]

Demographics

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A 2015 survey of American trans people by the National Center for Transgender Quality found that only sixteen percent of trans, non-binary, and gender-divergent people identify as straight or heterosexual. An overall 10% of respondents described themselves as asexual, 14% as bisexual, 16% percent as gay, lesbian, or same-gender-loving, 18% percent as pansexual, and 21% percent as queer. Trans women were over twice as likely to describe themselves as gay or lesbian than trans men, and non-binary people were more likely to describe themselves as pansexual or queer than other demographics.[9]

Multiple studies have shown a high degree of sexual fluidity among trans people, with many trans people seeing change in sexual orientation after transition. A 2013 study found that 40% of trans men reported a shift in sexual orientation after transition, generally towards same-gender attraction.[10][11]

Studies have found that a lack of popular scripts and models on sexuality that exist outside the societal gender binary as well as limits placed by partners on expressing gender fluidity inhibit the sexual well-being of non-binary and genderqueer people.[12] Some trans people have romantic and sexual relationships outside of their sexual orientation; e.g., a lesbian trans woman may be in a relationship with a straight cisgender woman, or a straight trans woman may be in a relationship with a gay man. Trans women are more commonly in these sort of relationships than trans men.[13]

Sexual development

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Shift to medical review studies. "A systematic review of sexuality measurement in transgender and gender diverse populations" (Puckett et al) might be good Generalissima (talk) (it/she) 12:32, 7 August 2024 (UTC)

Trans and cis adolescents report their first sexual experience taking place at similar ages, with sexual touching and oral sex generally preceding vaginal or anal sex by around a year.[14] About 40% of sexually-active trans adolescents report having had sexual experiences with other trans or non-binary people. Studies on whether trans adolescents are more likely to have had more sexual partners than their cisgender peers have resulted in contradicting results. Although trans people generally feel discomfort towards their genitalia, rates of genital sex among trans adolescents similar to their cisgender peers.[14]

Effects of transition

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Moved up a section, since many sex practices depend on HRT/surgery. -- Tamzin[cetacean needed] (she|they|xe)

Both masculinizing and feminizing hormone replacement therapy (HRT) cause changes in sexual behavior and libido in the short term; testosterone therapy generally increases sex drive, while estrogen therapy generally reduces it. However, levels return to the baseline after three years, with a slight increase from pre-transition levels for feminizing HRT. Gender affirming surgeries, such as vaginoplasty, phalloplasty, orchiectomy, and mastectomy, result in increased libido, even when such surgeries result in a reduced sex drive in cisgender people; this may be due to trans people achieving a more positive body image after the procedures.[15]

Trans people frequently have poor body image before transition, with gender dysphoria leaving them uncomfortable with their bodies, often hesitant to touch or let others' touch their bodies. This effect is worsened when people accept their transness and begin to seek gender-affirming care, as it becomes more difficult to deny or ignore body dysphoria. Coping strategies, such as imagining having a different body or playing a gendered role, are often used to overcome gender dysphoria in pre-transition sex. Additionally, many pre-transition people avoid sexual activity involving their genitals in favor of a focus on pleasing the other partner. Although around 90% of trans people have had sexual experiences before seeking treatment, only 15% of trans men and 12% of trans women reported that they found pleasure from activity involving their genitals during sex.[13]

Feminizing hormone therapy

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Further information: Feminizing hormone therapy

Masculinizing hormone therapy

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Further information: Masculinizing hormone therapy

Transfeminine genital surgeries

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Transmasculine genital surgeries

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Terminology

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See also: Terminology of transgender anatomy
A word cloud of various terms used by transmasculine people for their vaginas, with the largest ("front-hole") in the center
A word cloud of how transmasculine people in a 2021 study described their vaginas

The manner in which transgender people refer to their bodies is an important facet of their sexuality. Many refer to body parts with words for comparable cross-sex body parts based on adequation (the finding of "sufficient similarity") with those body parts, for instance vagina for a transfeminine anus or dick for a transmasculine clitoris.[16] These replacement words can serve as a micro-affirmation of a partner's identity during sex, as this can be an environment of heightened gender dysphoria.[17]

In addition to replacing words, trans people often conceive of body parts in ways that are detached from gender connotations. For instance, in contrast to a cisnormative definition of vagina as belonging to a woman, a transmasculine person might use the term to refer simply to that structure without gendered connotations, either on its own or in constructions such as boy cunt.[18] Both approaches may occur at once: Elijah Adiv Edelman and Lal Zimman quote, among other examples, a Craigslist posting from a trans man reading "[I]f you're wondering what this transman has to offer ...  You get to play with a trannie cock ...  Testosterone tightened up my cunt a little, which provides a cozy ride".[19]

The wellness guide Trans Bodies, Trans Selves acknowledges a multitude of practices and advises, "Find language that makes you feel good, use it, share it with [sex] partners, and have fun."[20]

Sexual practices

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History

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Early sexual norms in the transgender community were shaped by a desire to conform to cisgender norms, for fear of being gatekept from healthcare.[21]

There was little to no coverage of sex practices among trans people from their own perspective until Mira Bellwether's self-published 2010 zine Fucking Trans Women,[22] described in Sexuality & Culture as "a comprehensive guide to trans women's sexuality".[23] It focuses in particular on sex acts possible with flaccid penises[24] and on the innervation of pre-op and non-op trans women's genital areas.[25] It both named and popularized the act of muffing, or stimulating the inguinal canals through an invaginated scrotum,[26] which can offer those with genital dysphoria a way to be penetrated from the front.[27]

Cultural studies scholar J.R. Latham wrote the first definitive analysis of trans men's sexual practices in the journal Sexualities.[28]

Few documentaries have been produced exploring transgender people's sexual practices. Since 2013, creator Tobi Hill-Meyer has been working on a series of projects related to transgender peoples sexualities titled Doing it Again.[29]

Research in areas of sexual behavior and experience is ongoing. One study from 2020 conducted in Spain analyzed the sexual health and behaviors of 260 participants.[30]

Masturbation

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About 72–78% of trans women and 59–89% of trans men masturbate.[13]

Partnered sex

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Polyamory

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Sex work and pornography

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Main articles: Transgender sex workers and Transgender pornography

Mainstream transgender pornography rarely if ever features trans men and nonbinary people, instead focusing almost exclusively on transgender women, who are depicted, in the words of Tobi Hill-Meyer et al., "either as sexually voracious, dominant, penetrative partners waiting to violate unsuspecting cis people, or as demure, receptive sex kittens available solely for the pleasure of cisgender men".[31] However, a number of more affirming pornographers, many of them transgender themselves, exist, such as Bailey Jay, Venus Lux, and the studio Kink.com.[32]

Fertility and pregnancy

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Main article: Transgender pregnancy

A number of factors influence the fertility of transgender people, including the effects of gender-affirming medical care. Assisted reproductive technology is commonly used by transgender people to achieve reproduction.[33]

Sexual abuse and violence

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Transgender people are more likely than cis people to have experienced sexual abuse during their childhoods. Although studies initially attributed this abuse as a cause of gender dysphoria, modern studies have generally reversed this causation, stating that transness renders children more at risk of sexual abuse.[13]

Notes

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References

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Citations

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  1. ^ Rossman 2016, pp. 14–18.
  2. ^ Benjamin 1966.
  3. ^ a b Rossman 2016, pp. 20–24.
  4. ^ Rossman 2016, pp. 24–26.
  5. ^ APA 1968.
  6. ^ APA 1987.
  7. ^ APA 2000.
  8. ^ APA 2013.
  9. ^ James et al 2018, p. 59.
  10. ^ Puckett et al. 2021, pp. 277–278.
  11. ^ Meier et al. 2013, p. 468.
  12. ^ Kennis et al. 2021, pp. 443–444.
  13. ^ a b c d Holmberg, Arver & Dhejne 2019, p. 125.
  14. ^ a b Maheux et al. 2021, pp. 6–7.
  15. ^ Defreyne et al 2020, pp. 9–11.
  16. ^ Hill-Meyer & Scarborough 2014, pp. 355–356.Zimman 2014, p. 16. Fielding 2021, p. 96.
  17. ^ Pulice-Farrow, Bravo & Galupo 2019, pp. 53, 58.
  18. ^ Zimman 2014, p. 17.
  19. ^ Edelman & Zimman 2014, p. 682.
  20. ^ Hill-Meyer & Scarborough 2014, p. 356.
  21. ^ Hill-Meyer et al. 2022, p. 441.
  22. ^ Variously:
    • Pfeffer 2014, p. 597. "Fucking Trans Women (Issue #0) broke ground by centering trans women's perspectives and experiences around sex and sexuality—including instructional guides on actual sexual practices."
    • Zaber 2015. "Originally published as a zine FTW was the first book (or at least the first I can find that gained wide recognition) to address the sex lives of trans women."
    • Burns 2017. "Fucking Trans Women [is] widely considered to be the first and most in-depth guide to having sex with pre- and non-op trans femme bodies."
    • Thom 2023. "When Bellwether first published [Fucking Trans Women], there were virtually no sources of sex education devoted to trans women's unique needs and experiences."
  23. ^ Rosenberg, Tilley & Morgan 2019, p. 965.
  24. ^ Rosenberg, Tilley & Morgan 2019, p. 965. Fielding 2021, p. 77
  25. ^ Valens 2019}. Fielding 2021, p. 94.
  26. ^ Fielding 2021, p. 93.
  27. ^ Hill-Meyer 2022.
  28. ^ Latham 2016.
  29. ^ "Toby Hill-Meyer Filmography". handbasketproductions.com. May 3, 2019.
  30. ^ Gil-Llario, MD; Gil-Juliá, B; Giménez-García, C; Bergero-Miguel, T; Ballester-Arnal, R (November 8, 2020). "Sexual behavior and sexual health of transgender women and men before treatment: Similarities and differences". International Journal of Transgender Health. 22 (3): 304–315. doi:10.1080/26895269.2020.1838386. PMC 8118227. PMID 34240073.
  31. ^ Hill-Meyer et al. 2022, p. 438.
  32. ^ Hill-Meyer et al. 2022, pp. 444–445, citing discussions with transgender adult entertainers.
  33. ^ Mattawanon et al. 2021, pp. 362–363.

Sources

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