Ftm: Female-to-Male Transsexuals in Society

by Aaron H. Devor, Jamison Green (Foreword)

In this ground-breaking study, Aaron Devor provides a compassionate, intimate, and incisive look at the life experiences of forty-five trans men. Emerging into 21st-century political and social conversations, questions persist. Who are they? How do they come to know themselves as men? What do they do about it? How do their families respond? Who are their lovers? What does it mean for everyone else? To answer these and other questions, Devor spent years compiling in-depth interviews and researching the lives of transsexual and transgender people. Here, he traces the everyday and significant events that coalesce into trans identities, culminating in gender and sex transformations. Using trans men's own words as illustrations, Devor looks at how childhood, adolescence, and adult experiences with family members, peers, and lovers work to shape and clarify their images of themselves as men. With a new introduction, Devor positions the volume in twenty-first century debates of identity politics and community-building and provides a window into his own self-exploration as a result of his research.

Genres: Transgender, LGBT, Nonfiction, Queer, Gender Studies, Sociology, Gender

740 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 1997

About the author

Aaron H. Devor (born 1951), is a Canadian sociologist and sexologist known for researching transsexuality and transgender communities. Devor has taught at the University of Victoria since 1989 and is the former dean of graduate studies. Devor is the current Research Chair in Transgender Studies at the University of Victoria, and the Founder & Academic Director of The Transgender Archives at the University of Victoria Libraries.

Reviews

[Max · Rating 5 out of 5]

transitioning and/or being someone physically marked as transitioned is really lonely in some ways and this book made me feel a lot less lonely. i found the really academic theory-dense parts annoying, i just wanted to read the interviews and see the % breakdowns of how everyone's sibling relationships went and all that stuff. i'm so grateful devor named who was speaking, almost everyone who was quoted multiple times sounded like someone i wish i could spend time with, even if we would disagree on a lot of stuff. i'm gonna reread the parts with interviews, i just loved reading what everyone had to say about their lives

[J Baker · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the first to treat the subject. Pure Sociology, but nonetheless very insightful and groundbreaking.

[Ashley E · Rating 4 out of 5]

FTM was originally published in 1997, but surprisingly, it still remains a very relevant and interesting read for those curious about the topic. Although the language leans toward academic, the focus is largely on the personal experiences of transsexual men. The study that Aaron Devor presents is an almost voyeuristic view of the process of being transsexual, from formative childhood events, to sexual fantasies (and realities), to the nitty gritty details of the transition itself. Such an intimate look at any person, let alone 30-some, is bound to bring the reader into a one-sided relationship with the participants. It's nearly impossible to walk away from this book without a more understanding and critical view of transsexual men and the challenges that they go through.

The edition I read was one published 20 years after its original publication, and it included a new forward and introduction. The rest of the text is original and was not updated, and for the most part, it did not need to be. What I would have liked to see was an additional epilogue, addressing some of the changes that have come about in the last 20 years, from more-widely accepted varieties of gender to advances (and occasional setbacks) in trans rights. I would have loved to hear more of Devor's thoughts on these issues, especially because some of the participants, when discussing their feelings about their own gender, seemed like they may have identified as some form of nonbinary if they had had the option back then. Regardless, this is still a thorough and fascinating look at transsexualism straight from the mouths of those who experienced it.

As Devor says in his conclusion, "It is time that we, as a society, move toward greater recognition and appreciation of diversity in genders, sexes, and sexual orientation, that we begin to envision and enable a future in which a multiplicity of genders, sexes, and sexualities might be safely imagined and easily enacted by those persons who feel so inclined. When it comes to genders, sexes, and sexualities it is time that we learn to count higher than two, that we learn to multiply and divide, and that we endeavor to expand our options exponentially." We are slowly (so slowly) making progress toward the future that Devor lays out, but if you're interested in opening up your own mind just a tiny bit more, and are willing to put in the time and effort to read a very hefty book, or at least skim whatever parts draw you, FTM might be an interesting way to start your journey.

[I received this book for free through First Reads and was not required to write a positive or any other type of review. All opinions stated herein are solely my own.]

[Mark · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a powerful book on what it is like to be an FTM transsexual. I am one so pouring over this text I felt close (yet distinct because of my generation gap of progress that has been made o FTMs today.)to this group of men. Hearing that one (I forget which man) just thought being a lesbian meant having gender issue stuff as well, the same thoughts of my own mind.

Besides the reliableness of the text, I did find issues with the misgendering. I am in the camp that if you ID as a transsexual you are referred to the pronouns you feel comfortable, in this case, he/him/his to all displayed in this book. I get that the main body of text was not changed so I guess it has to just do with the time it just still grated on me to read her when talking about a man.

Overall I enjoyed it and would recommend it.

[Corbin Dodge · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an extraordinary A-Z study of FTM's. There is not a more comprehensive book out there--

[Remy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very informative. A great resource for FTM history and contained lots of sociological material, but I didn't appreciate when the author misgendered the interviewees.

[Kathy Heare Watts]

I won a copy of this book during a Goodreads giveaway. I am under no obligation to leave a review or rating and do so voluntarily. So that others may also enjoy this book, I am paying it forward by donating it to my local library.