Transfan
Encyclopedia
Transfans are people who are sexually attracted to transgender
people. Other terms include tranny chaser, trans catcher, transsensual and tranny hawk. Sexologists have used two technical names
for the sexual preference for male-to-female transsexuals: gynandromorphophilia and gynemimetophilia. Andromimetophilia is an analogous term that denotes attraction to female-assigned people who look, act like, or are men; including butch
women, or trans men.
to male-assigned people who look, act like, or are women, including assigned-male crossdressers. It can also refer to an attraction to trans women. A related term is gynemimesis, which refers to a homosexual male who engages in female impersonation without sex reassignment. Both terms originate in a 1984 paper of John Money
and Margaret Lamacz. The terms were used by Money for classification purposes in his gender-transposition
theory.
Andromimetophilia (sometimes misspelled as androminetophilia) is sexual attraction
to female-assigned people who look, act like men, or are men; including butch
women or trans men. The attraction can be to people who have not undergone any physical transition, or to people who have.
Many members of the transgender
community (particularly in the MTF
population) use "tranny chaser" in a pejorative sense, because they consider it a fetish-like attraction to the penis of a pre-operative or non-operative trans woman MTF
or to the vagina of a pre- or non-operative trans man.. In their pathbreaking book, True Selves, Chloe Ann Rounsley and Mildred Brown have suggested that tranny chasing men may be homosexual men in denial. The term "tranny" is itself considered a pejorative by the community.
In "Diary of a Drag Queen" Daniel Harris describes four types of men interested in him while he was cross-dressed: heterosexual men who wanted the presumed superior oral services of another male, homosexuals who were only interested in his genitals, other cross dressers, and men who were intrigued by the mixture of masculinity and femininity he represented.
According to Helen Boyd
, "Tranny chasers are the big bugaboo in the crossdressing community, because their very existence suggests that crossdressers are not all as straight as they claim to be. Chasers are willing to give crossdressed men the kind of attention they desire, and that attention (a drink, a compliment) validates the crossdresser's experience, and completes the fantasy of feeling like a woman."
Transgender
Transgender is a general term applied to a variety of individuals, behaviors, and groups involving tendencies to vary from culturally conventional gender roles....
people. Other terms include tranny chaser, trans catcher, transsensual and tranny hawk. Sexologists have used two technical names
Paraphilia
Paraphilia is a biomedical term used to describe sexual arousal to objects, situations, or individuals that are not part of normative stimulation and that may cause distress or serious problems for the paraphiliac or persons associated with him or her...
for the sexual preference for male-to-female transsexuals: gynandromorphophilia and gynemimetophilia. Andromimetophilia is an analogous term that denotes attraction to female-assigned people who look, act like, or are men; including butch
Butch
-People:* Delaney Knight , bordons butch woman* Butch Ballard , American jazz drummer* Butch Cassidy , American outlaw* Butch Davis , American football coach* Ronald DeFeo, Jr...
women, or trans men.
Related terms
Gynemimetophilia is sexual attractionSexual attraction
Sexual attractiveness or sex appeal refers to an individual's ability to attract the sexual or erotic interest of another person, and is a factor in sexual selection or mate choice. The attraction can be to the physical or other qualities or traits of a person, or to such qualities in the context...
to male-assigned people who look, act like, or are women, including assigned-male crossdressers. It can also refer to an attraction to trans women. A related term is gynemimesis, which refers to a homosexual male who engages in female impersonation without sex reassignment. Both terms originate in a 1984 paper of John Money
John Money
John William Money was a psychologist, sexologist and author, specializing in research into sexual identity and biology of gender...
and Margaret Lamacz. The terms were used by Money for classification purposes in his gender-transposition
Transgender
Transgender is a general term applied to a variety of individuals, behaviors, and groups involving tendencies to vary from culturally conventional gender roles....
theory.
Andromimetophilia (sometimes misspelled as androminetophilia) is sexual attraction
Sexual attraction
Sexual attractiveness or sex appeal refers to an individual's ability to attract the sexual or erotic interest of another person, and is a factor in sexual selection or mate choice. The attraction can be to the physical or other qualities or traits of a person, or to such qualities in the context...
to female-assigned people who look, act like men, or are men; including butch
Butch
-People:* Delaney Knight , bordons butch woman* Butch Ballard , American jazz drummer* Butch Cassidy , American outlaw* Butch Davis , American football coach* Ronald DeFeo, Jr...
women or trans men. The attraction can be to people who have not undergone any physical transition, or to people who have.
Usage
Originally (and still predominantly) used to describe the men sexually interested in pre-operative trans women, the term tranny chaser is now being used in FTM communities as well.Many members of the transgender
Transgender
Transgender is a general term applied to a variety of individuals, behaviors, and groups involving tendencies to vary from culturally conventional gender roles....
community (particularly in the MTF
MTF
-Business:* Make Trade Fair* Multilateral Trading Facility* MTF Ltd, Motor Trade Finances Limited, a vehicle finance company based in New Zealand-Science:* Magnetized target fusion* Modulation transfer function, in optics...
population) use "tranny chaser" in a pejorative sense, because they consider it a fetish-like attraction to the penis of a pre-operative or non-operative trans woman MTF
MTF
-Business:* Make Trade Fair* Multilateral Trading Facility* MTF Ltd, Motor Trade Finances Limited, a vehicle finance company based in New Zealand-Science:* Magnetized target fusion* Modulation transfer function, in optics...
or to the vagina of a pre- or non-operative trans man.. In their pathbreaking book, True Selves, Chloe Ann Rounsley and Mildred Brown have suggested that tranny chasing men may be homosexual men in denial. The term "tranny" is itself considered a pejorative by the community.
In "Diary of a Drag Queen" Daniel Harris describes four types of men interested in him while he was cross-dressed: heterosexual men who wanted the presumed superior oral services of another male, homosexuals who were only interested in his genitals, other cross dressers, and men who were intrigued by the mixture of masculinity and femininity he represented.
According to Helen Boyd
Helen Boyd
Helen Boyd is the pen name of Gail Kramer, the American author of two books about her relationship with her transgender partner. Her partner is referred to in both books as "Betty Crow", though this is also a pseudonym.-Biography:...
, "Tranny chasers are the big bugaboo in the crossdressing community, because their very existence suggests that crossdressers are not all as straight as they claim to be. Chasers are willing to give crossdressed men the kind of attention they desire, and that attention (a drink, a compliment) validates the crossdresser's experience, and completes the fantasy of feeling like a woman."
Further reading
- Tracie O'Keefe, Katrina Fox, eds., Trans people in love, Routledge, 2008, ISBN 0789035723