Is “Bisexual” a Meaningful Descriptor for Trans Men?

According to the US Transgender Survey, the majority of trans men are not exclusively attracted to women or men. In the present day, this is true in many Western countries, but is not true in non-Western countries.

Evidence suggests there are two types of trans men:


TYPE I: “Sexual inverts” with “brain-restricted intersexuality”

TYPE II: Natal females with a unique brain phenotype


Although it describes straight trans men, TYPE I is sometimes referred to as “Homosexual Transsexual” (HSTS). 


The word “homosexual” typically describes exclusive sexual attraction to members of the same sex, but research on HSTS trans men frequently includes bisexuals with a preference for women. For examples, Chivers & Bailey (2000) defined HSTS as FTMs who reported “Kinsey Sexual Fantasy Scores of 4 (most sexual feelings toward females, but some definite fantasy about males) or higher”. Likewise, Lin et. al (2014) defined HSTS as: “Homosexual sexual orientation according to the Klein Sexual Orientation Grid: Average score of A to G>4 and total scores >56.”


When recording the sexual orientation of FTMs, it may be more meaningful to report Kinsey scale or Klein Sexual Orientation score, rather than limiting options to “heterosexual” “bisexual” “homosexual” etc.


EDIT: When applying the Kinsey Scale, it may be more meaningful to define HSTS FTMs as Kinsey>4. See: Interesting Findings from Manzouri & Savic.


Related Blog Posts


Does Testosterone Change Sexual Orientation?

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