What is gynandromorphophilia? The official definition is: men who are sexually attracted to transgender women, but common beliefs have much to add. The ready-made remark speaks of repressed homosexuals who, refusing to have relationships with other men for fear of being outed, hypocritically take shelter in the arms and legs of transwomen.
Although this theory seems obvious to most, there are two major problems: it feels strongly transphobic and it is simply not true. Let’s start from the latter using the Hsu-Rosenthal-Miller-Bailey’s study published in the medical journal Psychological Medicine and titled “Who are gynandromorphophilic men?”
The scientists recruited men who were looking for sex on the internet with other men, cisgender women (females whose gender identity match the sex assigned at birth), and transsexual women (females whose sex assigned at birth was male but identify psychologically and emotionally as women). The candidates had to declare their level of excitement toward other men, cisgender and transgender women. Then they had to watch pornographic movies in which men, cisgender or trans-women were having sex, while a machine measured the swelling of their penis.
The first thing the study demonstrated was that everyone’s arousal patterns matched the type declared in the initial phase, eliminating the “I say one thing but another” factor. In fact, homosexual’s arousal patterns were very high when watching men to men sex, on average when watching trans-women, and with no activity when watching women only sex. Obviously, things went exactly the opposite with heterosexuals who said to not be attracted to transwomen.
What about the gynandromorphophilic men? Their arousal ran high when watching transgender women sex, while their attraction towards cisgender women was equal to that of heterosexuals, and toward men was very low, only slightly higher to that of heterosexuals. In short, the definition of gynandromorphophilia is the more appropriate: men sexually attracted by transgender women. That is all. They are not repressed homosexuals. They can also be bisexual, but only in some cases.
However, to prove the existence of a prejudice is not enough. We must unearth the root cause, find out what it tells about us, our community, and our society. We must recognize that describing a man’s attraction towards transsexual women as homosexuality means to impose a binary system in which only cisgender men and women can feel and provoke arousal. A system that radically denies of transgender women gender identity and limits them to be surrogates of men.
Transwomen are disowned not only as women and as humans, but also as desirable people as some claim that one can’t be really attracted to them but rather used to satisfy the attraction toward someone else. Transgender women are diminished to a penis to which, almost by accident, have sprouted boobs. it is a very transphobic way of (not) thinking that is unknowingly rehashed by many homosexuals and even by some transexuals. Isn’t it disturbing?
As for my final thoughts, I have a couple of observations. The first one is discouraging: the study on gynandromorphophilia indirectly demonstrates how often the attraction towards transsexual FTM (female to male) – or perhaps their very existence – is not even contemplated by our society. The second one is a proposal: since the term gynandromorphophilia really sounds terrifying, like it was a disease – while we are simply speaking about a person who likes another – can we think of a more poised word?
©2018 Il Grande Colibrì
if you’re attracted to women, there is nothing wrong or weird about being attracted to trans women. I mean, isn’t that the point? as a bi woman, I find myself attracted to some trans women more than actual born women.. I mean all the fun parts are there plus they are pretty! ya know?!
Gynandromorphophilia is not sexual attraction towards transsexual women. It is the strong sexual attraction towards men with mixed secondary sex attributes with the key limitation that they object of attraction must have a penis. Without the penis there is no attraction. So, it’s not psychology as a science diminishing these people to penises, it’s the men who lust after them (and yes, it’s only men, thus the ‘paraphilia’.) If you don’t believe me go speak to post-ops, they will tell you the ‘chasers’ drop off completely.
On the subject of ‘chasers’ the very fact it’s a paraphilia (thus the ‘philia’) is demonstrated by the fact very few of these men enter into relationships with transsexual women (the exception being if they themselves are transsexual because of the very strong statistical correlation between people with gynandromorphophilia and heterosexual men who become transsexual women.
These are heterosexual men and once they ejaculate they lose all interest in their partner, thus their partner’s consignment to a dirty secret. That explains why the term gynandromorphophilia. I’m shocked the author doesn’t engage in these basic facts.
Also, you completely failed to show why anything you mentioned is transphobic.
Thank you Matt, this is the best explanation yet, I would really like to pick your brain on this and other subjects, you have a view we all need to consider-
Being a much older man I agree with much of what you say, but would like to add that younger generations do not subscribe to these points. Future generations in developed countries seem to look at the world of the future in a different way and are more willing to both accept difference and do not feel the need to adhere to accepted societal norms of the past. Young people today feel free to express themselves sexually in ways not before thought possible. Gender today comes in many forms and youth feel more free to experiment and adapt in many ways and do not feel obligated to accept the narrow roles humanity has followed for decades. Neither faith or past accepted rules apply to the youth of today as they are more willing to follow what they feel is right for them despite what terms medicine tries to assign to them. A new dawn of human sexuality is emerging where youth feel free to experiment and grow in ways they feel comfortable with. Personal happiness and freedom are more important to them then following rules that may conflict with what they feel is right for them. For them it is a brave new world where happiness and contentment are not confined to what gender they may have had at birth or what past rules society followed. They are clearly marching to a different drummer. And who is to say that is wrong.
The very fact the term uses the Latin root philia… such as the term necrophilia… disgusts me. This is no more than a preference of attraction… definitely not even close to the deviance of any legitimate philiac interests I know of. Let’s get a better term.
I happen to relate to traits attributed to the coined term. Interesting article!
Philia denotes abnormal, which certainly doesn’t make me feel great.