The Autogynephilia Project

Autogynephilia (AGP) is a natal male’s sexual arousal by the fantasy of being, or the act of imitating, a woman. AGP was both named and studied extensively by Ray Blanchard during the 1980s. He showed that among adult natal males seeking sex reassignment surgery, there were two subtypes: One (whom he called “homosexual male-to-female transsexuals”) included highly feminine individuals whose gender dysphoria began during childhood and who were exclusively attracted to men. The other included unremarkably masculine individuals whose gender dysphoria typically began during adulthood, even middle age. Most of this type expressed attraction to women, some to both sexes, and some to neither sex. Blanchard referred to this subtype as “nonhomosexual male-to-female transsexuals.” Importantly, only the nonhomosexual subtype was characterized by the presence of AGP. The overt presentations of the two kinds of male-to-female transsexuals are quite distinct, with the homosexual subtype more naturally feminine and likely to be confused for natal women. The AGP/nonhomosexual explanation of its respective subtype is less familiar and sympathetic to laypersons.

The most common manifestation of AGP is erotic cross-dressing, which typically begins during early adolescence. An unknown proportion of AGP males develop gender dysphoria, desiring to live in the female role and to acquire female-like secondary sex characteristics. An unknown proportion of AGP males with gender dysphoria choose to gender transition, socially and medically. What causes some AGP males, but not others, to experience gender dysphoria is unknown. Nor is it known why some gender dysphoric AGP males choose gender transition while others do not. Nor is it known which AGP males will lead better lives with gender transition. Many important questions about AGP remain unanswered. However, much is already known by scientists who study it. Little is known by the public, which is increasingly aware of the existence of AGP. Unfortunately, this awareness is accompanied by highly negative stereotypes on the part of both trans persons themselves and gender-critical feminists, few of which are empirically supported, and some of which are false.

The Percy Foundation is funding further study of this marginalized identity by an international team of prominent sexual scientists, led by Prof. J. Michael Bailey of Northwestern, and including Blanchard, Ken Zucker (long-time editor of Archives of Sexual Behavior and former head of the Gender Identity Service at Toronto’s Centre for Addiction and Mental Health), and the evolutionary psychologist Paul Vasey, as well as several others. They have already performed a survey of 429 “gender variant males” recruited from social media platforms such as Reddit and X, and found that a substantial percentage self-identify as autogynephilic, even though facing rejection of their identity by many of the most vocal trans activists. The team’s goal is to produce a series of open-access scholarly articles based on this data, to be published as a special issue of Archives. In addition, they wish to create a website with the goal of explaining autogynephilia compassionately to the general public. Their hope is to bring this shunned subpopulation of the trans community into public consciousness and reduce the stigma they face.