What is autogynephilia?

Definition

Autogynephilia, a term coined by sexologist Ray Blanchard in the late 1980s, refers to “a male’s propensity to be sexually aroused by the thought or image of himself as a woman” [1]. Blanchard frames it as a type of paraphilia (an atypical sexual interest) comparable to erotic target location errors, where the erotic focus is displaced onto one’s own body imagined in another form [2].

Conceptual Development

Blanchard’s work with gender-identity clinics in Toronto led him to propose two primary patterns among male individuals who sought medical transition:

• Androphilic (exclusively attracted to men) transsexuals, whom he saw as feminine from childhood.
• Autogynephilic transsexuals, who may be gynephilic (attracted to women), bisexual, or asexual, and whose transition is driven partly by the autogynephilic arousal pattern [1][2].

The concept influenced the DSM-IV and DSM-5. While “autogynephilia” is not a diagnosis, DSM-5 includes a specifier “with autogynephilia” under Transvestic Disorder, describing individuals who are sexually aroused by the idea of possessing female anatomy or presenting as female [3].

Competing Views and Criticisms

Many clinicians, researchers, and transgender activists challenge the theory:

• Empirical validity. Studies report mixed findings about the prevalence of sexual arousal among trans women; some data support Blanchard’s typology, others show a continuum or no clear separation [4].

• Pathologization. Critics such as Julia Serano argue that labeling trans women’s experiences as a paraphilia conflates gender identity with fetishism and ignores non-sexual motives for transition [5].

• Sampling concerns. Early studies relied on clinical populations seeking surgery, potentially over-representing individuals with any erotic motive while under-representing those who transitioned outside clinical routes [4][5].

Blanchard and supporters counter that the concept explains otherwise puzzling patterns (e.g., late transition among gynephilic trans women) and point to follow-up work replicating the phenomenon in community samples [1][2].

Public Discourse

Autogynephilia has become a recurring flashpoint in discussions of transgender identity:

• In 2003, J. Michael Bailey’s book “The Man Who Would Be Queen,” which popularized Blanchard’s ideas, sparked protests, ethics complaints, and de-platforming attempts, illustrating how scientific debates became entangled with activism and identity politics [1].

• Online discourse often polarizes into camps that treat the theory as either settled science or as inherently transphobic. Media outlets such as Quillette have provided sympathetic coverage, while many LGBT publications reject the concept outright, reflecting broader cultural divides over the meaning of gender and the legitimacy of sexology research [1][5].

• The term occasionally surfaces in policy arguments (e.g., about single-sex spaces) where critics of gender self-identification cite autogynephilia as evidence of non-female motivations, whereas trans advocates view such usage as stigmatizing and scientifically unsound [5].

Current Status

Autogynephilia remains neither universally accepted nor entirely dismissed. It is referenced in diagnostic manuals, continues to be tested in peer-reviewed research, and is the subject of active scholarly and activist debate. The disagreement centers on whether the construct offers a valid explanatory model or whether it pathologizes a subset of women with trans histories. As of 2024, no consensus has been reached, and the term is likely to remain controversial as research methods, cultural attitudes, and gender-affirming practices evolve.

Sources

1. Quillette. “What Is Autogynephilia? An Interview with Dr. Ray Blanchard.” 6 Nov 2019. https://quillette.com/2019/11/06/what-is-autogynephilia-an-interview-with-dr-ray-blanchard/
2. Blanchard, R. “The Concept of Autogynephilia and the Typology of Male Cross-Gender Identity.” Archives of Sexual Behavior, 1989.
3. American Psychiatric Association. Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th ed. 2013.
4. Veale, J. F. et al. “Biological and Psychological Correlates of Gender Identity in Adults.” Personality and Individual Differences, 2014.
5. Serano, J. Whipping Girl: A Transsexual Woman on Sexism and the Scapegoating of Femininity. Seal Press, 2007.

Suggested Sources

https://quillette.com/2019/11/06/what-is-autogynephilia-an-interview-with-dr-ray-blanchard/