Feminine Essence Concept of Transsexuality

Feminine Essence Concept Of Transsexuality

In the study of transsexuality, the idea of a feminine essence refers to the proposal that male-to-female transsexuals are females trapped in male bodies. This idea has been interpreted in many senses, as a female mind, spirit, soul, personality, etc., as well as in more literal senses such as having a female brain structure; it is also a psychological narrative, that is, a self-description of how some transsexuals see themselves, or of how they may portray themselves to qualify for certain medical treatments.

According to sexologist J. Michael Bailey and Kiira Triea, "the predominant cultural understanding of male-to-female transsexualism is that all male-to-female (MtF) transsexuals are, essentially, women trapped in men's bodies." They reject the idea, claiming that "The persistence of the predominant cultural understanding, while explicable, is damaging to science and to many transsexuals." According to sexologist Ray Blanchard, "Transsexuals seized upon this phrase as the only language available for explaining their predicament to themselves and for communicating their feelings to others. The great majority of patients understand full well that this is a façon de parler, not a literal statement of fact, and are not delusional in any normal sense of the word."

The feminine essence idea has been described under several names, and there is no authoritative, widely accepted definition. It was called the feminine essence narrative by Alice Dreger in 2008, and the feminine essence theory by Ray Blanchard, who formulated the concept into a set of logical propositions. Other names include Harry Benjamin syndrome, after one of the early sexologists whose early writings about the nature of transsexuality, along with those of psychiatrist David O. Cauldwell, are favorably cited by proponents in support of this idea.

This idea is associated with, but separate from the "brainsex theory of transsexualism", which is a belief about a neurodevelopmental cause of transsexuality. Proponents of the brainsex theory of transsexualism draw a distinction between "brain sex" and "anatomical sex". Some proponents reject the term transsexual, as the trans- prefix implies that their true sex is changing, instead of being affirmed, with treatments like sex reassignment surgery. Some proponents consider themselves to be intersexed instead of transgendered.

Modern sexologists including Blanchard reject the idea that these transsexuals are "literally" female. A more "figurative" interpretation, involving neurologically mediated gender identity, was supported historically by pioneering sexologists such as Harry Benjamin. There continues to be debate regarding whether and to what extent male-to-female transsexuals are like natal females rather than are females.