Trans man
A trans man or transgender man is a man who was assigned female at birth. Trans men have a male gender identity, and many trans men undergo medical and social transition to alter their appearance in a way that aligns with their gender identity or alleviates gender dysphoria.
Transition among trans men can involve a variety of social, medical, and legal steps. Initially, the term referred specifically to those undergoing hormone replacement therapy or sex reassignment surgery, but its meaning has expanded to include psychological development and self-acceptance. While some trans men pursue medical interventions like hormones and surgery, others may opt out due to personal choice or financial constraints. Many who do not undergo top surgery use chest binding, and some employ packing to create a masculine shape. Transitioning can include social changes, such as adopting a new name and pronouns, legal name change or other document updates, and medical transition with HRT or surgery. Achieving social acceptance as male may be challenging without physical transition, and some trans men may selectively present as female in certain situations. Additionally, some transmasculine individuals may choose to become pregnant, give birth, and breastfeed.
Estimates of the prevalence of trans men in the U.S. vary widely, from 1 in 100,000 to 1 in 2,000. Census data for 2015 show around 58,000 name changes indicative of transition to male, though far fewer changed their sex coding. Trans men, like cisgender men, have diverse sexual orientations, with most identifying as heterosexual, but others as queer, pansexual, bisexual, or gay. Many trans men have past connections with the lesbian community, often identifying as butch lesbian before recognizing their transgender identity. While some date heterosexual or queer women, trans men face more challenges integrating into cisgender gay men's communities, which tend to be more body-focused. However, research challenges assumptions that trans men are predominantly heterosexual, showing a majority of non-heterosexual identities and rising acceptance within gay communities.
Terminology
The umbrella term is a shortening of both transgender and transsexual, and describes anyone whose gender identity does not align with their assigned sex.The term transsexual originated in the medical and psychological communities, and is generally considered a subset of transgender, although the two are not always interchangeable. It predominantly describes people with medically diagnosed gender dysphoria, and who desire to permanently transition to the opposite sex via sex reassignment therapy. Many trans people prefer the labels transgender or trans, considering them more inclusive and less stigmatizing. However, others, such as Buck Angel, reject the label of transgender. The GLAAD media reference guide advises against describing people as transsexual, except for individuals who explicitly identify as such.
Transmasculine is a broader term for all trans individuals with predominantly masculine identities or gender expression, and includes trans men as well as non-binary people who were assigned female at birth and may have an identity that is partially masculine but not entirely male.
The alternate spelling is sometimes used interchangeably. However, like, it is often associated with trans-exclusionary views which hold that trans men are distinct from men, and thus require a separate word to describe them. For this reason many transgender people find the spelling offensive.
Another common term for trans men is female-to-male, but this is considered outdated by some, in part because it confuses sex and gender, or because someone may be nonbinary and lie somewhere on the spectrum between the two extremes, neither of which accurately describes them.
Transitioning
Originally, the term trans men referred specifically to female-to-male transsexual people who underwent hormone replacement therapy or sex reassignment surgery, or both. The definition of transition has broadened to include theories of psychological development or complementary methods of self-acceptance. Many of those who identify as transgender face gender dysphoria.Transsexual and transgender men may seek medical interventions such as hormones and surgery to make their bodies as congruent as possible with their gender presentation. However, many transgender and transsexual men cannot afford or choose not to undergo surgery or hormone replacement therapy.
Many who have not undergone top surgery choose to bind their breasts. There are a few different methods of binding, including using sports bras and specially made binders. Tape or bandages are often depicted in popular culture.
Some trans men might also decide to pack, to create a phallic bulge in the crotch of clothing. However, this is not universal. Trans men who decide to pack may use anything from rolled up socks to specially made packers, which resemble a penis. Some packers are also created for trans men to be able to urinate through them, or for sexual penetration or other sexual activity.
Transitioning might involve some or all of the following steps:
- Social transition: using a preferred name and pronouns, wearing clothing seen as gender appropriate, disclosure to family, friends and usually at the workplace/school.
- Sex reassignment therapy: hormone replacement therapy, and/or surgery
- Legal affirmation: name and sex marker correction in legal identification documents.
Prevalence, identity and relationships
In the United States, the ratio of trans men within the general population is unclear, but estimates range between 1:2,000 and 1:100,000. A U.S. Census Bureau study in 2015 suggests that there were around 58,000 name changes in census records consistent with female to male transitions although only 7,500 of these changed their sex coding as well.In a study by Kara Devaney, entitled Transgender Research Literature Review, it is addressed that the term transgender encompasses a myriad of different and unique identities that do not follow the "normal" rules of gender. Miriam J. Abelson writes, "There is no question that trans men's experiences are men's
experiences and give insight about men, masculinity, and gender inequality."
Like cisgender men, trans men can have any sexual orientation or sexual identity, including heterosexual, gay, bisexual, and queer, and some trans men consider conventional sexual orientation labels inadequate or inapplicable to them. The literature commonly indicates that sexual attraction to those of their same gender is considerably less common among trans men than among trans women; the majority of trans men are reported as heterosexual. Surveys from the National Center for Transgender Equality show more variation in sexual orientation or sexual identity among trans men. In NCTE's 2015 Transgender Survey of respondents who identified as trans men, 23% identified as heterosexual or straight. The majority identified their sexual orientation or sexual identity as queer, pansexual, bisexual, or gay/same-gender loving.
Some trans men date heterosexual women, while other trans men date queer women; the latter might be because queer women are less invested in the gender and sexual anatomy of a person when it comes to selecting an intimate partner. It is also common for trans men to have histories with the lesbian community or to feel that they identify better with that community because of its wide acceptance of gender variance, with a number of trans men having previously identified as lesbian before realizing that they are instead transgender.
Trans men have less success integrating socially within cisgender gay men's communities, which tend to be more body-focused, especially in terms of being phallocentric. Yitzchak et al. state that, as a result, they more commonly see gay trans men partnering with each other than with cisgender gay men. There are, however, cases of women being likelier than men to thoroughly question trans men about their motivations for modifying their bodies.
Some scholars argue against assumptions that trans men are predominantly heterosexual and usually have lesbian histories. In scholars Dan Irving and Rupert Raj's book Trans Activism in Canada, researchers state, "There is still a common misperception that trans men are largely heterosexual amongst those who conflate gender identity and sexual orientation. It is frequently assumed that trans men are exclusively attracted to women and have lesbian histories prior to transition." They add, "Recent data from the Trans PULSE project challenge this assumption, with 63 percent of female-to-male spectrum trans people in Ontario reporting non-heterosexual identities and/or past-year sex with trans or non-trans men." They also argue that, based on some research, "many non-trans gay men have welcomed trans men into gay communities and have increasingly recognized trans men as potential sexual and romantic partners."
File:Chaz Bono by Gage Skidmore 2.jpg|thumb|Chaz Bono, musician, writer and actor, whose parents are Cher and Sonny Bono