GenderWork

Call for Submissions

Trystan Cotten and Zander Keig

Surgical genital modification, commonly known as "bottom surgery",� is a memorable experience of gender transitioning for many transsexual men. It is a momentous process involving incredible sacrifice, fortitude, and most importantly, love - the love of self and of others supporting us through the process. For many transsexual men it is this final step that provides a feeling of completeness and wholeness in our bodies and a feeling of greater security in the world. Yet, we rarely write about our experiences of bottom surgery or share our stories with others, except on a few websites and private listservs designed for sharing information on FTM surgeries. When we do share our experiences, we are often met with harsh criticism, negative assumptions, and outright contempt.

So much has changed since Loren Cameron and Dean Kotula published ManTool (internet) and Phallus Palace (2002) respectively, both of which documented transmen's sex reassignment surgeries through photographs and personal testimonies. Yet, it remains invisible and hidden from public awareness. Exciting new surgical techniques and technologies have been developed and increasing medical insurance coverage has made various kinds of genital surgery more available to transsexual men, but ignorance about lower surgery options is propagated widely in both academic and popular circles by people who have never undergone any kind of genital surgery, but feel confident and free to comment on our genitalia anyway.

We want to counter this misguided ignorance with autobiographical testimonies of transsexual men who have undergone some form of surgical modification of their genitals. In pursuit of this goal, we invite you to share your life-changing experience with the world. Provide other transmen contemplating lower surgery with valuable information and advice that will help them make informed choices. Counter the myths and misinformation of naysayers with your own testimonies of trial and triumph. Submissions may vary in length. We are asking for a minimum of eight pages, roughly the equivalent of 2000 words.

It is important to include the perspectives of partners, who tend to be neglected in studies and collections treating transsexual topics. To counter this trend we are also seeking submissions from partners (of all gender identifications) of men who have undergone (or are contemplating) genital surgery.

We have formulated several questions (below) to assist your writing process.

For Transsexual Men:

Reasons for pursuing lower surgery: Why did you pursue bottom surgery? What kind of surgery did you pursue, and did you consider others? Did costs and cultural contexts factor in your decision of what kind of surgery to pursue? How has your life changed as a result? How has surgery affected your relationship with your body and how you relate sexually? How has it affected your sense of wellbeing in the world? What has been the emotional and spiritual impact of your journey? What issues or concerns (function, sexual gratification, aesthetics, length of process, physical health toll, finances, etc.) were especially important to you in the process?

Familial reactions: How did your partner(s) react to your decision to pursue bottom surgery? Did you feel supported by them? Were there tension and disagreement between the two (or more) of you? Looking back, what were some of the challenges and rewards of dealing with family members around your surgery? Were there unexpected surprises?

Physical and emotional trials/rewards: What was your emotional process? What kinds of feelings did you experience in the journey?

Aesthetics and function: Are you satisfied with the outcome of your surgery? Were all your expectations met? Are you happy with how it looks, feels, and functions? Does it bring sexual gratification? Can you satisfy your partner's desires and needs? How does male embodied sexual gratification feel?

Internal sense of satisfaction and completeness: What were your expectations going into the process? Did the surgery give you what you were looking for? Were all your expectations met? What does the surgery mean in your transition journey? What expectations were not met by the surgery? Did you experience difficulty or loss? How did you cope with problems?

Complications and challenges: What was the healing process like? Were there complications or setbacks? What was their impact on you/your process and how did you handle them?

Are there any memorable moments of your journey that you want to share with other transsexual men? What advice or words of wisdom do you have for those who are contemplating lower surgery? Is there something about genital surgery that you wish to inform or express to the larger public?

For Partners of Transmen:

Your reaction: What was your reaction when your partner disclosed his intentions for bottom surgery? What was your emotional process? What feelings emerged for you and how did you address these? If you had some difficulties, what did your partner do to help you cope? Who supported you and how? Did your relationship with your friends, family, and/or peers change? What fears did you have going into the surgery? What do you feel you lost and/or gained in going through this process? What was your role in his surgical process? Is there something that you would have done differently? What have you learned on this journey?

Sexuality and physicality: How has your partner's surgery affected the way you relate to his body sexually? How has your own sense of your sexual identity/orientation or relationship to your body changed?

Post-Genital surgery: If you met your partner after his genital surgery, how did you feel about his body when you became sexual with him? How did he communicate his surgical status to you? Has there been any changes?

What advice do you have for other partners (or for men who plan to have genital surgery).

Please send submissions by February 15, 2011 to:

Zander.Keig@gmail.com and TrystanCotten@gmail.com

This project is supported by Gender Identity Foundation for Transmen. For more information on how you can support this project please contact logan@thegift-foundation.org

Please send submissions by February 15, 2011 to:

Zander.Keig@gmail.com and TrystanCotten@gmail.com

This project is supported by Gender Identity Foundation for Transmen. For more information on how you can support this project please contact logan@thegift-foundation.org