You do not currently have permission to view the full text for this document. Please sign in to an account with an active subscription or contact support.
This essay explores the emergence of a form of sexual desire that did not strictly exist before the late 20th century—desire for the “pre-op” male-to-female (MTF) transsexual woman—a partially feminized male-bodied person who typically has breasts developed through hormone therapy or breast augmentation and some other female characteristics but who has not yet undergone female-to-male sex-reassignment surgery. The historical development of this new form of sexual desire is documented, in part, by the emergence of the transsexual pornographic video as a heterosexual male genre. The primary focus of this article is on the male spectator, with a secondary emphasis on the “male” performer. It explores how both male performers and consumers self-identify, what concepts of gender that both performers and consumers hold, and how the adult entertainment industry organizes and reflects sex and gender conventions and practices.