New comer

[tadpole (imported)]

Dear Sister,

I personally completely accept the fact that gender is a spectrum. As a biologist, I have long head the view that there are not two completely separate and absolutely non-overlapping patterns for the various sexually dimorphic neural centers in our brains.

However, won't you agree that, as a logical progression, we might ask the more straight and limited world to accept a third gender before we go for x >>> infinite genders?

[plezherus (imported)]

I also see a case for selling the view that there are some special powers and privileges to being a eunuch, which--if one opens one's minds to it--are much better than viewing oneself as a crippled male, which is about how most prostate cancer patients view themselves.

Tadpole-

I would have to agree here. Being chemically castrated has been a boon career wise for me. As a young testosterone driven male, I was kept from the power positions. Operating on a self serving sex drive, seperates the young male from those who have established positions in organizations.

Most older people have settled down and see typical youthful male sexual behavior as a problem. Once I forfieted my biological sexuality, through chemical castration and expressed this new sexuality, I was viewed as safe and excepted into the power circle of my profession. Since sex up untill that time was basically crappy, frustrating, a huge hassle, or non existant, I feel really blessed. It's taking a piece of crap car to the dealer and getting a brand new Porsche.

You said-

To make this case, I have to go public. But as you can see from my last email, I am starting to get a bit scared of what sort of reaction I might get.

A few years back the gay community wanted a parade. I live in a fairly conservative town with a state college. Anyway the parade went on as the gay community had planned. Instead of a conservative family oriented theme like "Gays are your brothers, aunts, parent etc", They brought out a ensemble of drag queens, transexuals, and rather radically sexual people. The reaction was that people in the town became hostile to homosexuality and viewed it as a threat to their basic family values. The school pushed the woman's center in with the multicultural center and basically neutralized the motivating force behind exploring various gender roles and more modern ways of expressing sexuality. I'm sure this is similar to most places across the country except maybe San Francisco. So I would have to agree with Krister. If something works toward the continuence of the species it will ultimately be maintained. It just has not dawned on us what will promote the contnuence of the species.

The fact that you were nonvoluntarily castrated, then found the change positive, works in your favor. Orienting yourself around family, I would think, would also help.

While I think that the people who facillitate the archive are basically sound individuals, with humanitarian objectives, I think that the public would latch on to the sexually extreme message and fail to pay any heed to the human experience. They would want the "Get up horsey bit". As soon as the "new position" dulled, it would be time to cast off the freak show.

There is a great group of guys who lost there balls to prostate cancer. They are mostly middle aged married men. They have a web site, and are much more normal than well..say...a freak such as myself. I think there name is "men without balls".

Basically you would be selling a sexual message to the public to titalate the masses for a brief moment. If that is what you would like to achieve then great. I'm all for capitalizing. I just hope the archive gets it's fair piece of the pie.

Best of luck,

-plezherus

[tadpole (imported)]

Dear Krister and Plezherus,

Thank you for the time you have taken to reply to my long email.

I was discouraged by Plezhurus's comment that to publically "come out as a eunuch" would "

be selling a sexual message to the public to titalate the masses for a brief moment...[and]...if that is what you would like to achieve then great.

"

Clearly I want to do more than that. I want to show prostate cancer patients that there is a positive way to look at the side effects of the drugs they are taking.

But I also recognize that the public's image of what it is to be a eunuch is often a mythical construct related to slaves and harems. Awhile ago I corresponded with the anthropologist Serena Nanda on this point. She wrote a nice book called "Gender Diversity" and is open to the idea of multiple genders. But she, too, thought that the term "eunuch" came was such historical baggage that it shouldn't or couldn't be resurrected in any positive light.

The truth is I could probably make my argument without ever using the term "eunuch." However, there may be no quicker or more honest way of getting an audience than to use that term. Of course, the whole exercise would be a waste though, if, as you guys seem to suggest, to come out as eunuch is to turn myself into a freak, who gets a audience but not the audience's respect.

Perhaps I should show you what I have written so far on this topic. Could I send you two my draft essay for comments?

[plezherus (imported)]

Tadpole-

I would very much like to read what you have written. Perhaps freeing up men who have had such a event would allow them to participate in open sexual relationships. Taking the shame, or embarassment away from such an expirience could only help open up a completely neglected facit of modern gender roles and sexuality.

I, however, am no expert on sexuality, or even sex. I have battled my way through gender barriers and learned to capitalize on the modern gender role I have established for myself. I will provide you whatever feedback I have, unless of coarse if I'm busy...Spring is coming up you know.

Best of Luck

-plezherus

[tadpole (imported)]

Dear Krister, I have privately sent you my draft essay. Plezherus, I would like to do the same but do not have your email address. How do we make private contact?

---------------

The following could be considered a new thread or it could be an extension of my new comer thread. In either case, i hope I get some feedback from it. I have posted it on "men without balls", but after reding what was there, I realize that that group is largely the antithesis of teh position I hole (i.e., they are mostly trying to conquer the loss of endogenous testosterone).

I was castrated a year ago for the treatment of prostate cancer. The surprise (to me at least) is that I have quite enjoyed being off of testosterone and am now seriously considering going public as a eunuch.

I am curious to know if anyone knows of any first person essays that have been published in the mainline press promoting the privileged perspective of the world that one has as a eunuch. I am thinking here of essays along the lines of "Coming out as a Eunuch." I see many postings here and on other websites (plus on many TS home pages) where people discuss their experiences of living without testosterones. However has anyone put any of these essays into the straight press? [I didn't see anything in the eunuch.org archives but perhaps I didn't look careefully enough.]

If so, could I get the reference?

If not, why do you think this is so? Is it because we all fear what the public will think of us? Is it because we see no value in educating the public on how our minds work once castrated?

Are there others on this list who publically call themselves eunuchs? If so, how far have you gone with the concept? I, for one, have formed a cyber-seraglio, which cares and nutures me. I'm also fiercely protective off the members of my harem. But am I the only eunuch who has done that? Or have others on this list independently done the same?

Lastly do you think the term 'eunuch' can be effectively resurrected so that one could be a public eunuch and respected, as, say, during the Ming dynasty or the Byzantine Empire? Or is the term so bizarrely mixed with images of mutilation and enslavement that it bares too much baggage to be worth any

attempt at such a resurrection?

All thoughts on these matters would be greatly appreciated.

[plezherus (imported)]

Dear Tadpole-

Yeah, please send me your views, my address is on my profile.

I will try to answer your queery as best I can.

I am out in a way at my place of employment. Many of my coworkers are led to believe that I have some problem with erectile function. I decided this would be the best way to package my sexuality since the truth would be unacceptable. I do not consider myself a eunuch, being that I am chemically castrated. The bond I share with my female coworkers gets stronger daily. Soon I will get my home in a town away from work.

You ellude to the hareem. Do you seek woman for your affirmation? Do women protect you, feed you or otherwise support you? I deliberately avoid the whole male on male sub/dom paradigm. I think that duality is a distraction. It is interesting how we can shape our worlds when we decide how we want to live.

-plezherus

[tadpole (imported)]

Plezurus,

See the new thread on harems.