Fe/Male

The analysis in this book elicits and "teases out" §contemporary logics of gender and sexuality from §modern psychiatric texts on transsexualism. There is §an explicit focus on found asymmetries of gender and §sexuality with regard to biological females vs. §males. Two amalgam psychiatric statements are §particularly investigated. Firstly, that of the §female-to male transsexual having an easier §transition to man, than the male-to female §transsexual to woman; and secondly, that of FTMs §being of homosexual orientation before §transition, whereas MTFs are seen as having §backgrounds with more sexual variety. These §depictions are analysed in connection with the §construction of the fe/male body, concluding an over-§all symbolic logic of "the male accommodates the §female, but the female does not accommodate the §male". It is further suggested that this reveals a §phallic core operating within still vivid §active/passive paradigms being used to construct §masculinity and femininity. This theoretical work §will be of interdisciplinary interest to scholars §and others working within feminist, women's, gender, §queer, transgender and masculinity studies.