Men Sexually Interested in Transwomen (MSTW): Gendered Embodiment and the Construction of Sexual Desire

Abstract

This article extends research on transgenderism by providing a sociological study of men who are sexually interested in transwomen (MSTW; viz., genetic males who use estrogen to feminize their body but retain their penis). We conducted fieldwork in a bar catering to transwomen and the men who were sexually interested in them, and did on-the-spot interviews with the MSTW. We initially examined the nature of MSTW's sexual attraction to transwomen, followed by how this related to their sexual orientation identity. Using a sexual fields approach (Green, 2008), we first found how the ambience of the bar helped to create an erotic environment through a heightened sense of gender. Then, focusing on the theory of embodiment (Jackson & Scott, 2007), we saw how the MSTW constructed a unique sexual desire according to the sexual orientation identity they brought to the situation. Those who identified as “straight” tended to gloss that the transwoman had a penis, while the bisexually identified men were more likely to incorporate the transwoman's penis into the sexual experience.

This article was presented at a plenary session of the Society for the Scientific Study of Sexuality Mid-Continent & Eastern Region Joint Conference, Cleveland, OH, on May 17, 2008. We are grateful for the research cooperation of the owner and management of the bar where we carried out the study and the transwomen and the men who were patrons of the establishment, as well as Steve Berkey for making continuing fieldwork possible. We also thank David Steinberg, Brian Powell, Osmo Kontula, and the anonymous reviewers for their helpful comments.

Notes

Note. n = 26.