The Man Who Would Be Queen: The Science of Gender-Bending and Transsexualism - Hardcover

Bailey, J. Michael

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0309084180 ISBN 13: 9780309084185

Publisher: Joseph Henry Press, 2003

Synopsis

Gay. Straight. Or lying. It's as simple and straightforward as black or white, right? Or is there a gray area, where the definitions of sex and gender become blurred or entirely refocused with the deft and practiced use of a surgeon's knife? For some, the concept of gender — the very idea we have of ourselves as either male or female beings — is neither simple nor straightforward.

Written by cutting-edge researcher and sex expert J. Michael Bailey, The Man Who Would Be Queen is a frankly controversial, intensely poignant, and boldly forthright book about sex and gender. Based on his original research, Bailey's book is grounded firmly in science. But as he demonstrates, science doesn't always deliver predictable or even comfortable answers. Indeed, much of what he has to say will be sure to generate as many questions as it does answers.

Are gay men genuinely more feminine than other men? And do they really prefer to be hairdressers rather than lumberjacks? Are all male transsexuals women trapped in men's bodies — or are some of them men who are just plain turned on by the idea of becoming a woman? And how much of a role do biology and genetics play in sexual orientation?

But while Bailey's science is provocative, it is the portraits of the boys and men who struggle with these questions — and often with anger, fear, and hurt feelings — that will move you. You will meet Danny, an eight-year old boy whose favorite game is playing house and who yearns to dress up as a princess for Halloween. And Martin, an expert makeup artist who was plagued by inner turmoil as a youth but is now openly homosexual and has had many men as sex partners. And Kim, a strikingly sexy transsexual who still has a penis and works as a dancer and a call girl for men who like she-males while she awaits sex reassignment surgery.

These and other stories make it clear that there are men — and men who become women — who want only to understand themselves and the society that makes them feel like outsiders. That there are parents, friends, and families that seek answers to confusing and complicated questions. And that there are researchers who hope one day to grasp the very nature of human sexuality. As the striking cover image — a distinctly muscular and obviously male pair of legs posed in a pair of low-heeled pumps — makes clear, the concept of gender, the very idea we have of ourselves as either male or female beings, is neither simple nor straightforward for some.

About this title

About the Author

J. Michael Bailey is Associate Professor of Psychology at Northwestern University and an internationally recognized researcher and expert on the origins of human sexual orientation. His studies of sexual orientation in twins have been widely cited in the scientific literature and are mentioned in virtually all introductory psychology textbooks. His work has also been featured in a variety of newspapers, including The New York Times, as well as in Newsweek and Discover. He is also widely known to those interested in sex research as the creator and owner of the listserv SEXNET. Michael Bailey lives in Chicago and has two children.

From the Inside Flap

"Absolutely splendid."
-- Simon LeVay, Ph.D., author of Queer Science

"This is a wonderful book on an important subject."
-- Anne Lawrence, M.D., Ph.D., sexual medicine and transgender medicine practitioner

"With a mixture science, humanity, and fine writing, J. Michael Bailey illuminates the mysteries of sexual orientation and identity in the best book yet written on the subject. The Man Who Would Be Queen may upset the guardians of political correctness on both the left and the right, but it will be welcomed by intellectually curious people of all sexes and sexual orientations. A truly fascinating book."
-- Steven Pinker, Peter de Florez Professor, MIT, and author of How the Mind Works and The Blank Slate: The Modern Denial of Human Nature

"Bailey is one of a rare breed of writers who manages to combine first-rate science with deep psychological understanding, resulting in great breadth of vision. He takes us on an unforgettable journey into the minds and lives of feminine men. Bailey skillfully interweaves vivid case studies with cutting-edge scientific findings, placing both in a deep historical context from the sexual playground of ancient Greece to the dilemmas of gender in the modern world. Refreshingly candid, remarkably free of ideology, this book is destined to become a modern classic in the field. But readers should be prepared to have some cherished assumptions about human nature shattered."
-- David M. Buss, author of The Evolution of Desire: Strategies of Human Mating and Evolutionary Psychology: The New Science of the Mind

Reviews

An associate professor of psychology at Northwestern University, Bailey writes with assuredness that often makes difficult, abstract material-the relationship between sexual orientation and gender affect, the origins of homosexuality and the theoretical basis of how we discuss sexuality-comprehensible. He also, especially in his portraits of the women and men he writes about, displays a deep empathy that is frequently missing from scientific studies of sexuality. But Bailey's scope is so broad that when he gets down to pivotal constructs, as in detailing the data of scientific studies such as Richard Green's about "feminine boys" or Dean Hamer's work on the so-called "gay gene," the material is vague, and not cohesive. Bailey tends towards overreaching, unsupported generalizations, such his claim that "regardless of marital laws there will always be fewer gay men who are romantically attached" or that the African-American community is "a relatively anti-gay ethnic minority." Add to this the debatable supposition that innate "masculine" and "feminine" traits, in the most general sense of the words, decidedly exist, and his account as a whole loses force.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Edition details

• Publisher: Joseph Henry Press
• Publication date: 2003
• ISBN 10: 0309084180
• ISBN 13: 9780309084185
• Binding: Hardcover
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 249