This article was downloaded by: [200.137.221.

198] On: 04 May 2012, At: 23:24 Publisher: Routledge Informa Ltd Registered in England and Wales Registered Number: 1072954 Registered office: Mortimer House, 37-41 Mortimer Street, London W1T 3JH, UK

Journal of Sex Research

Publication details, including instructions for authors and subscription information: http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/hjsr20

Understanding the Diversity of Transwomen

Reviewed by Trevor G. Gates
a a

Jane Addams College of Social Work, University of Illinois at Chicago

Available online: 21 May 2010

To cite this article: Reviewed by Trevor G. Gates (2010): Understanding the Diversity of Transwomen, Journal of Sex Research, 47:6, 611-611 To link to this article: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00224499.2010.487768

PLEASE SCROLL DOWN FOR ARTICLE Full terms and conditions of use: http://www.tandfonline.com/page/terms-and-conditions This article may be used for research, teaching, and private study purposes. Any substantial or systematic reproduction, redistribution, reselling, loan, sub-licensing, systematic supply, or distribution in any form to anyone is expressly forbidden. The publisher does not give any warranty express or implied or make any representation that the contents will be complete or accurate or up to date. The accuracy of any instructions, formulae, and drug doses should be independently verified with primary sources. The publisher shall not be liable for any loss, actions, claims, proceedings, demand, or costs or damages whatsoever or howsoever caused arising directly or indirectly in connection with or arising out of the use of this material.

JOURNAL OF SEX RESEARCH, 47(6), 611, 2010 Copyright # The Society for the Scientic Study of Sexuality ISSN: 0022-4499 print=1559-8519 online DOI: 10.1080/00224499.2010.487768

BOOK REVIEW

Understanding the Diversity of Transwomen When the Opposite Sex Isnt: Sexual Orientation in Male-to-Female Transgender People. By Sandra L. Samons. New York: Routledge, 2009, 277 pages. Cloth, $52.95. Reviewed by Trevor G. Gates, Jane Addams College of Social Work, University of Illinois at Chicago, 1040 W. Harrison St., M=C 309, Chicago, IL 60607. E-mail: tgates3@uic.edu Separating sexual orientation from gender identity is a formidable taskone that challenges helping professionals working with people who do not fall within societys typical gender binary. Helping professionals have a sense that they want to help transgender individuals move toward greater wholeness, whether that takes a physical or psychosocial form, yet individuals working with a transgender individual for the rst time often lack the resources to educate themselves about transgender identity. There is a dearth of information or resources available to graduates of professional training programs on transgender issues. Recent graduates of professional programs are sometimes no better off than their more experienced counterparts, as professional training programs tend to paint transgender individuals as either pathological or one dimensional rather than unique, resilient individuals. Sandra L. Samonss, When the Opposite Sex Isnt: Sexual Orientation in Male-toFemale Transgender People, represents a unique and much-needed contribution to the literature for helping professionals interested in increasing their competency in working with transgender people. Originally written as her doctoral dissertation, Samons bases her research on her years of experience as a clinical social worker and sex therapist working with transgender individuals. Samons sets the book within a social context in the United States in which sexual diversity has been increasingly gaining greater acceptance. Most people have at least a cursory knowledge of gay rights issues (albeit, transgender rights seem to have lagged very far behind). There is a growing acceptance of people who transgress heterosexual boundaries, yet a more limited acceptance of people who transgress traditional male and female gender boundaries. Interspersed with stories of male-to-female transgender women, as well as their partners and

signicant others, Samons works to explore the complexities of gender identity and sexual orientation for transwomen, noting that the sexual orientation of some transwomen seems to change during transition. Samons is largely successful in her efforts to understand the complex gender and sexual orientations of transwomen. She quickly engages the unfamiliar reader with both a primer of gender identity and sexual orientation, quickly moving to a highly synthesized overview of the literature and social policy about transgender people in the United States. Her writing style is not overly academic or rudimentary. Helping professionals who lack knowledge about transwomen, but with a basic understanding of human behavior and the social environment, will nd Samonss book quite accessible. The appendices of the text include a sample of topics that practitioners might include in a psychosocial history for a transwoman. Helping professionals working with transwomen for the rst time will nd the comprehensive transgender history topic list to be a helpful addition to their knowledge and clinical repertoire. While When the Opposite Sex Isnt represents a needed contribution to the literature for helping professionals, some readers may nd the work to be too pathology-focused rather than strengths-based. Samons seems to give great emphasis to views that hold that transgender individuals are somehow at risk for psychosocial problems such as isolation, harassment, or mental health issues. The risk factors are difcult to deny. What is missing from the work is adequate discussion about the strengths of transwomen. Despite all odds, many transwomen survive and thrive in the United States. Many nd the interpersonal and social resources they need to live within a society that largely marginalizes them. Greater attention to the strengths and resources would portray a more positive reality for a community that has had to overcome a number of psychosocial obstacles. Transwomen are complex people with multifaceted sexual orientations, gender identities, and psychosocial realities, which impact the professional helping relationship. When the Opposite Sex Isnt is a much-needed resource for helping professionals understand clients who do not fall within societys typical sexual orientation and gender binaries.

Downloaded by [200.137.221.198] at 23:24 04 May 2012