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J. Michael Bailey - "The Man who would be Queen:

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  • J. Michael Bailey's book, "The Man who would be Queen: The Science of Gender Bending and Transsexualism" has disrupted the lives of transgendered persons and the lives of mental health professionals who work with them. Some psychologists question the truthfulness of their transgendered clients. Some transgendered persons question if the therapists conceal a dismissive cynicism underneath an exterior of unconditional acceptance. It has become acceptable for transgendered persons to dismiss each others feelings as deception. And it has become acceptable for psychological researchers to regard the feelings of transsexuals as merely politics getting in the way of important work.

    As a transsexual I find myself both deeply affected by this controversy and in a unique position to interpret it.  Bailey's book and the controversy surrounding it. how Bailey interprets Blanchard's mis-directed sex-drive model of transsexuality.

     

    J. Michael Bailey has a history of becoming entangled in controversy. A controversy has arisen among transsexual women who are upset at being portrayed as really men and as inherently mentally ill. They are also upset at having their self-perceptions dismissed as obsessive lies.

     

    Bailey's book is a fascinating tale of how one researcher is enthralled with a potpourri of sexual and gender diversity in the world. Yet the sub-title of this book might have more accurately read, "the scientific study of the intersection between sexuality and gender." Even with this focus, it's too much to adequately cover in a single book. Particularly disappointing for the intellectually curious reader is the lack of citations. When he had to choose between scholarship and personal chatting, he all too often chose the latter even in cases where he hurts his own arguments.

     

     

     When I read J. Michael Bailey's words, I worry that he feels the world is filled with people who purposely mislead others and people who willfully remain ignorant of truths. Despite his characterizations: psychologists, bisexual men, and social constructivists can still have their own genuine perspectives even when they disagree with Bailey. Moreover, though he distinguishes his work as "science" from the "politics" of others, he fails to a maintain a rigorous scientific perspective on bisexuality by allowing essentialism to bias his thinking.

     

     

    A book you cannot put down, a book you cannot fail to read through, because it is so full of rubbish endorsing blanchards theories of transexualism,  you would want to turn it into toilet paper and.........

    Cristine Jennifer Shye.  B/L.  B/Acc
    This post was edited by Cristine Jennifer Shye. BL at April 1, 2015 12:11 AM BST
      March 27, 2015 2:56 PM GMT
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  • Thank you Crissie I will avoid that book then but if I ever see a copy going free I will save it for an extreme emergency. Are the pages as soft as the paper you find in some public toilets?.  Has J Micheal Bailey written any other good books for extreme emergencys?. I never run out of toilet paper but there may come a day when it happens Smile.

      March 27, 2015 5:12 PM GMT
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  • There is a tradition - in fact, in Rogerian or person-centred therapy suggests that, as a therapist, you accept that any individual that you are working with as being essentially a decent person who, even if the outside is flawed, has inside them the potential to "actualize" - to become the best that they can be no matter whatever the difficulties they may have.

     

    I think that it is fair to say that a well trained, empathetic and expreienced mental health professional can come to - fairly quickly - a reasoned judgement of their client's situation.  Now I must make this clear.  I am not talking about a social or moralistic judgement.  Just an understanding - which will need to be explored as to its authenticity for that person.

     

    AS gfar as I am concerned, any therapist who dismisses a clients self-perceptions as mere lies, needs to retrain.

     

    It is that persons self perception that is supremely important in the client-professional dialogue.

     

    Thanks for that post, Crissy!

      March 27, 2015 6:08 PM GMT
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  • Thankyou for that Amanda,   I can't understand why people post links to their own word press accounts and seem reluctant to post the item in full on here, much more certain of getting responces.

    Cristine Jennifer Shye.  B/L.  B/Acc
    This post was edited by Cristine Jennifer Shye. BL at March 27, 2015 6:40 PM GMT
      March 27, 2015 6:14 PM GMT
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  • Have you read the book or are you familar with blanchards work, basically he maintains that transexual women are homosexual if they form relationships with men, that the whole concept of transexualism revolves around ones sexuality and not their gender and  sexuality should allways  be consistant with their birth gender, any deviation and they become homosexual.

    Cristine Jennifer Shye.  B/L.  B/Acc
    This post was edited by Cristine Jennifer Shye. BL at March 27, 2015 6:49 PM GMT
      March 27, 2015 6:46 PM GMT
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  • Banchards work! You mean he got paid for it?. A transexual woman is a woman. It does not matter about the body they were born into they are a woman. Having a sexual relationship with a Man makes that as normal as any other relationship. I cannot see where homosexuality comes into it or any reason to bring it into it. If a transexual woman wants to be with a man or a woman or a transexual woman it is what is called normal. Normal being whoever you are attracted to is your business and no one elses .

      March 31, 2015 7:59 PM BST
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  • Baily's  book was based on Blanchards theory,   although many psycologists, LBGT groups, Socialologists,, genetic reasearchers, rubbished his theories, there were quite a few that endorsed his theories at the time, who then went on to endorse Bail's controversial book, some of the so called emininant rearchers into Gender dysphoria later withdrew their support for Baily and Blanchard.     But because it was so outlandish, the claims so outrageous some of those originally thought by jumping in, it would bring them to notice to further their own confused and stupid ideals.

     

     

    Ah! the art of posting threads, writing book reviews and getting comprehensive and interesting comments,   PMSL

    Cristine Jennifer Shye.  B/L.  B/Acc
      March 31, 2015 8:18 PM BST
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  • So Blanchard had a theory and Baily wrote a book about Blachards theory? Sh*t this does my head in. Have these people got a brain between them or are they Star fish?. I have a theory does anyone want to write a book about it cos I really do not have the time.

     

    My theory is that us poor sods are just things to be studied by a bunch of dim wits . The only thing wrong them it is they have far to much time on their hands and have no clue what the feck they are talking about. Maybe I should date one of them and have a normal evening with him and when we get back to my place I will show him something , tits first then the shock. Bet he still wants it thoughSmile. I can see another book review coming lol.

      March 31, 2015 8:38 PM BST
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  • Julie, enough already!  I'd bet he would still want it too.

     

    However, please cut us mindbenders some slack!Some of us do care enough to try to make some sense of the whole gender/transgender issue.  Sadly, ther is NOT enough genuine, peer reviewed and reliable data.

      We do keep trying though.

     

    Now (even if Crissy says we had some odd men on here), MY turn for a hug, lady!

      March 31, 2015 9:18 PM BST
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  • We are not and must not confuse, those people that want to learn in order to help, amongst those people some of us have many things to be grateful for, but there are those that are still convinced it is some sort of self inflicted perversion, or they want to study us out of some perverted morbid cuiriosity making unfounded and ludicrous observations on the way trans people behave and live their lives.   Some make some of the most inane and stupid assumptions I have ever heard.

    Cristine Jennifer Shye.  B/L.  B/Acc
      March 31, 2015 9:42 PM BST
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  • Yes like some say it is a life style choiceYell. I did not choose to be born the way I was just as others did not. I listen to logic and dismiss the rubbish. If everyone on this planet done the same we would not even be talking about this. Sometimes it feels like we are talking about 100 years ago.

    It is 2015 now and with all of the social media and 24 hour news and all that goes with modern day living why do we still have to fight to be accepted?.

     

    I won my fight but I will still stand up for others who have not.

    It wears me down sometimes with the negative things I read. One day I read hear or see something positive and that is followed by negative. It seems to me some people just see things on the news or some film and judge us all on one persons ignorance or ideals and opinions. Well opinions from someone whom has never met a transexual and spent some time getting to know them mean nothing.

     

    How come is it that I can stand in front of people and talk openly about myself and get told that took courage?. How come is it that I can do that and get thanked for it?. How come is it that I even get asked to do it?. Last week of all the business women in this town they asked me to do a presentation in front of other business women and also there was business men there to.

    When I asked why me? I was told because you can do it. Now I have been asked to do it again. Maybe I am to bloody normal or something I don't know. I do feel lucky though that people understand me and not only understand but just plain accept me.

     

      March 31, 2015 10:38 PM BST
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  • Sorry about that it has been a long day and me being the thick one here somethings just get to me. I cannot explain myself here but can do it fine talking face to face.

      March 31, 2015 11:21 PM BST
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  • Cristine, Shye BL said:

    J. Michael Bailey's book, "The Man who would be Queen: The Science of Gender Bending and Transsexualism" has disrupted the lives of transgendered persons and the lives of mental health professionals who work with them. Some psychologists question the truthfulness of their transgendered clients. Some transgendered persons question if the therapists conceal a dismissive cynicism underneath an exterior of unconditional acceptance. It has become acceptable for transgendered persons to dismiss each others feelings as deception. And it has become acceptable for psychological researchers to regard the feelings of transsexuals as merely politics getting in the way of important work.

    As a transsexual I find myself both deeply affected by this controversy and in a unique position to interpret it.  Bailey's book and the controversy surrounding it. how Bailey interprets Blanchard's mis-directed sex-drive model of transsexuality.

     

    J. Michael Bailey has a history of becoming entangled in controversy. A controversy has arisen among transsexual women who are upset at being portrayed as really men and as inherently mentally ill. They are also upset at having their self-perceptions dismissed as obsessive lies.

     

    Bailey's book is a fascinating tale of how one researcher is enthralled with a potpourri of sexual and gender diversity in the world. Yet the sub-title of this book might have more accurately read, "the scientific study of the intersection between sexuality and gender." Even with this focus, it's too much to adequately cover in a single book. Particularly disappointing for the intellectually curious reader is the lack of citations. When he had to choose between scholarship and personal chatting, he all too often chose the latter even in cases where he hurts his own arguments.

     

     

     When I read J. Michael Bailey's words, I worry that he feels the world is filled with people who purposely mislead others and people who willfully remain ignorant of truths. Despite his characterizations: psychologists, bisexual men, and social constructivists can still have their own genuine perspectives even when they disagree with Bailey. Moreover, though he distinguishes his work as "science" from the "politics" of others, he fails to a maintain a rigorous scientific perspective on bisexuality by allowing essentialism to bias his thinking.

     

     

    A book you cannot put down, a book you cannot fail to read through, because it is so full of rubbish endorsing blanchards theories of transexualism,  you would want to turn it into toilet paper and.........

     

    Cristine Jennifer Shye.  B/L.  B/Acc
      February 21, 2017 7:49 PM GMT
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