Gender Studies

[Descartes]

A small preface: Although I hold more conservative views than many here, and do express them on the forum, this inquiry is being made in good faith and not at all to make some point or to troll.

I no longer have access to some of the good research portals that I used to and there's something that I'm trying to research.

I am interested in gender studies literature that discusses the concept of the male lesbian.  I am aware of Gilmarten's work in 1987 as well as a couple of papers from the early 90's.  If anyone who works in gender studies could point me towards any work or acknowledgment of this idea in more recent times, and if it's not too much trouble, could you give me a couple author names or names of papers to point me in the right direction?  Again, I don't have the full academic resources to begin my own research from scratch.

Also, it might well be that this idea is now completely defunct and is simply a recognized area of the transgender experience.  If that's the case and you know that, I'd appreciate hearing that as well.

I know this is a long shot - but if not here, where?

[Parasaurolophus]

I'm sorry I don't really have any information for you. But I'm glad you asked--I think we should do more of this sort of thing here!


I did run a quick disciplinary search, and found some stuff by Jacquelyn N. Zita from the '90s. Specifically, her book Body Talk: Philosophical Reflections on Sex and Gender and an article titled 'Male Lesbians and the Postmodernist Body'. I can't vouch for their quality or anything, however, because I didn't do more than look it up quickly.

[Descartes]

Thank you for your kind reply and help.  I was aware of Dr. Zita and already had e-mailed her, but I'm guessing that the emeritus e-mail box doesn't get checked often or if it does she's encouraged by her university to not respond to unsolicited e-mails from strangers (interthreaduality.)

From what I have heard hanging around in virtual transgender communities, it seems the very idea is soundly rejected, at least by the population, in favor of this individual being a type of transgender woman.  Of course, these are not academics and most are approaching the question with only their life experience plus a healthy dose of activism, so I take what they say with a grain of salt.  Nothing wrong with living your truth, but when we seek to study a population we need answers that are the truth, not simply what affirms any of us or makes us feel better.