Sexuality

I receive many inquiries concerning the biological nature of human sexuality. The questions usually address homosexuality, intersexuality, or transgender feelings. I suggest the following books and web sites as starting points for learning more about these topics. My two short articles on the topic are a good starting place, but I also provide a list of books for further reading.

Fausto-Sterling, Anne (1993) "The Five Sexes". The Sciences (March/April) pp. 20-25.

Fausto-Sterling, Anne (2000) "The Five Sexes, Revisited" The Sciences (July/August) pp. 18-23.

Books:

Devor, Holly (1997) FTM : female-to-male transsexuals in society.  Indiana University Press

Dreger, Alice (1998) Hermaphrodites and the Medical Invention of Sex. Harvard University Press.

Dreger, Alice, ed. (1999) Intersex in the Age of Ethics. University Publishing Group.

Fausto-Sterling, Anne (2000) Sexing the Body: Gender Politics and the Construction of Sexuality. Basic Books.

Feinberg, Leslie (1996) Transgender warriors : making history from Joan of Arc to RuPaul.  Beacon Press

Feinberg, Leslie (1998) Trans liberation : beyond pink or blue. Beacon Press

Hausman, Bernice (1995) Changing sex : transsexualism, technology, and the idea of gender. Duke University Press.

Kessler, Suzzane (1998) Lessons from the Intersexed. Routledge

Stein, Edward (1999) The mismeasure of desire: the science, theory and ethics of sexual orientation . Oxford University Press

Web sites:

The Intersex Society of  North America. This is a rich resource of  bibliographies, personal stories and links to other web sites which concern sexuality.

The Archive for Sexology. This site has wonderful historical and contemporary resourse concerning the academic study of human sexuality.

The International Journal of Transgenderism carries academic articles on transgender theory and practice.

Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG) is a national organization for those who support their gay friends and families. They are a good starting point for the friends and family of someone who has just come out as a gay or lesbian.

The Advocate is a biweekly magazine for gays and lesbians. Although it is way too heavy (for my taste) on Hollywood star gazing, it is also a source for national and international news about gay and lesbian life and politics.