| This study looked at the experiences of FTMs whose primary sexual attraction shifted from women to men with transition. Seven participants were interviewed in an open-ended format, and interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) was used to analyze the results. Inclusion criteria required participants to be between 25-45 years of age, be taking testosterone for five years or more, be primarily attracted to women before transition and primarily attracted to men after transition, and be living full time as men. Participants ranged in age from 25-39. Three participants identified as White/Caucasian; two as Jewish, one as White/Mexican, and one as Black. Four lived in urban areas, three in suburban. Six of the seven lived in the San Francisco Bay Area at the time of the interviews. The participants were highly educated. Three participants identified their current sexual orientation as queer, one as queer/bisexual, one as bisexual, one as gay, and one as "I like hot people." Analyses revealed eight major themes: queer identity is central to self, aversion to traditional gender roles in relationship, attraction to sameness, interest/curiosity around how cismen's (men who identify with the gender they were assigned at birth) bodies work, increased openness to different experiences after transition, comfort and safety as key to sexual relationships, acceptance of trans identity brought about acceptance of attraction to men, and delayed addressing attraction to men until after transition. Minor themes included: more opportunity to have sex with men, insecurity about one's body, and butch women less sexually available to men. Most themes confirmed past research findings, but some themes identified new reasons for this change in sexual attraction. Average number of years post-transition for attraction change was less for participants in this study versus prior studies. Attraction to sameness, more opportunity to have sex with men, and increased openness to different experiences after transition were new themes that emerged. Another new theme included comfort and safety as key to sexual relationships. Limitations of the study and suggestions for future research are discussed. |
