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Puzzles of Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity: anti-transgender conference

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Puzzles of Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity is a conference centered on eugenic beliefs about sex and gender minorities. It has been held every five years since 1995. Participants and authors include many key historical figures in the academic exploitation of sex and gender minorities, including J. Michael Bailey, Thomas Blak, Ray Blanchard, Anthony F. Bogaert, S. Marc Breedlove, Lori A. Brotto, James M. Cantor, Meredith Chivers, Andrew Conru, Bradley M. Cooke, Lisa Diamond, Milton Diamond, Robert Dickey, Alice Dreger, Lee Ellis, Kevin J. Hsu, “Phil Illy” [Phil Hutchinson], Henry H. Jang, Philip E. Klassen, Michael Kuban, Martin Lalumière, Simon LeVay, Richard Lippa, “S. Rudd” [Scarlet Mason], Heino F. L. Meyer-Bahlburg, David I. Miller, James S. Morandini, Brian S. Mustanski, Lanna J. Petterson, Vernon Quinsey, Gerulf Rieger, Allen Rosenthal, Adam Safron, Alan Sanders, Ritch Savin Williams, Scott W. Semenyna, Theodore L. Semon, Michael Seto, Devita Singh, Debra W. Soh, Kelly D. Suschinsky, John Sylla, David Sylva, Doug VanderLaan, Paul Vasey, Eric Vilain, Zhana Vrangalova, and Kenneth J. Zucker.

Background

The conference was founded by Lee Ellis in 1995 and was originally called the International Behavioral Development Symposium on the Biological Basis of Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity, and Sex-Typical Behavior. Subsequent conferences were held in 2000, 2005, 2010, 2015, and 2023. Since 2005, it has been organized by Paul Vasey.

1995 conference

Ellis published proceedings from the 1995 event as the book Males, Females, and Behavior: Toward Biological Understanding, edited by Lee Ellis and Linda Ebertz.

  • Foreword — Milton Diamond
  • Part I — Genetic & Perinatal Influences on Sex Differences
    • Genetic and Perinatal Influences on Male/Female Differences in Behavior
    • Some Genetic Aspects of Human Sexual Behavior — David E. Comings
    • Sex Hormonal Modulation of Neural Development In Vitro: Implications for Brain Sex Differentiation — Robert H. Lustig
    • Evidence from Opposite-Sex Twins for the Effects of Prenatal Sex Hormones — Edward M. Miller
    • Effects of Perinatal and Puberal Steroid Imprinting in Sexual Behavior of Adult Rats — György Csaba
  • Part II — Neurological Manifestations of Perinatal Sexual Differentiation
    • Organizational and Activational Effects of Dopamine on Male Sexual Behavior — Elaine M. Hull et al.
    • Gender-Specific Alterations in Adult Sexual Behavior and Brain Neurotransmitters Following Prenatal Morphine Exposure — Ilona Vathy
    • Neonatal 5-HT Receptor-Mediated Effects on Sexual Dimorphism of Adult Behavior in the Rat — Catherine A. Wilson et al.
    • Developmental Significance of the Postnatal Testosterone “Surge” in Male Primates — Alan F. Dixson, Gillian R. Brown, Claire M. Nevison
  • Part III — Sex Differences in Organization of Behavior
    • Sex Differences in the Organization of Behavior Patterns: Endpoint Measures Do Not Tell the Whole Story — Sergio M. Pellis & Evelyn Field
  • Part IV — Neuro-Cognitive & Behavioral Outcomes
    • Cerebral Asymmetry and Cognitive Performance Across the Menstrual Cycle — Geoff Sanders & Deborah Wenmoth
    • Gender-Related Individual Differences and National Merit Test Performance — Richard Lippa
    • Gender Differences in Bereavement Response and Longevity — Nancy L. Segal
    • Applying the Interpersonal Circle and Evolutionary Theory of Gender Differences in Psychopathological Traits — Katharine Blick Hoyenga et al.

2000 conference

The 2000 conference marked its emergence as a major hub of anti-trans activism via people connected to Ellis via the Human Biodiversity Institute (HBI), a eugenic project by white nationalist Steve Sailer. HBI members included Ellis, J. Michael Bailey, and Ray Blanchard.

Participants whose papers were later published included Elizabeth Adkins-Regan, J. Michael Bailey, Rachel A. Birch, Ray Blanchard, Anthony F. Bogaert, S. Marc Breedlove, Windy M. Brown, James M. Cantor, Kenneth M. Cohen, Bradley M. Cooke, Marianne de Chastelaine, John H. Denning, Lee Ellis, Christopher J. Finn, Douglas L. Foster, Jeffrey A. French, Chris Friesen, Shelton E. Hendricks, Panagiota Klentrou, Richard A. Lippa, Dennis McFadden, Brian S. Mustanski, Vasantha Padmanabhan, Andrew D. Paterson, Sergio M. Pellis, John A. Resko, Jane E. Robinson, Charles E. Roselli, Geoff Sanders, Marie Sjodin, Fred Stormshak, Ingeborg L. Ward, O. Byron Ward, Paul L. Vasey, and Kenneth J. Zucker.

In 2002, Kenneth Zucker published an issue of Archives of Sexual Behavior featuring papers from the 2000 conference.

2005 conference

Participants whose presentations were later published include Allison A. Bailey, Susan W. Baker, Massimo Bardi, Colin E. Bishop, Marc Breedlove, Donald Burke, Andrew Canastar, Lillian Christon, Shyamal Das, Lisa M. DeBruine, Curtis Dolezal, Connie L. Ellis, Lee Ellis, David R. Feinberg, Evelyn F. Field, Christopher Ficek, Julia Friedenberg, Liisa A. M. Galea, Mandeep Gill, Kyle L. Gobrogge, Patricia A. Gongal, John J. Greer, Garrett Griffin, Patricia A. Hall, Elizabeth Hampson, Heather L. Hoffmann, Peter L. Hurd, Benedict C. Jones, Cynthia L. Jordan, Kate Karelina, Craig Howard Kinsley, Kelly L. Klump, Daniel Brian Krupp, Richard A. Lippa, Anthony C. Little, James T. Martin, Stephen C. Maxson, Michael A. McDaniel, Heino F. L. Meyer-Bahlburg, Stacie S. Miller, Brian S. Mustanski, Maria I. New, Silvia Pagliardini, Sergio M. Pellis, David I. Perrett, David A. Puts, Qazi Rahman, Brandi Rima, Catherine M. Schaeff, Miriam J. Law Smith, Mark D. Spritzer, Deano J. Symeonides, Christine M. Tenk, Alex Weinberg, and Reginia H. Yan.

In 2007, Kenneth Zucker published a special section of Archives of Sexual Behavior featuring papers from the 2005 conference.

2010 conference

According to the published program, attendees were Mike Bailey, Lee Beckstead, Ray Blanchard, Tony Bogaert, Bill Cade, James Cantor, Meredith Chivers, Samantha Dawson, Lisa Diamond, Alice Dreger, Megan Ebsworth, Annabre Fairweather, Deanna Forrester, Laura Gothreau, Grant Harris, Heather Hoffmann, Martin Lalumière, Simon LeVay, Richard Lippa, Donald Optiz, Sergio Pellis, Anne Perkins, Jim Pfaus, Vernon Quinsey, Lance Ren, Charles Roselli, Alan [sic] Rosenthal, Adam Safron, Cisco Sanchez, Michael Seto, Devita Singh, Kelly Suschinsky, David Sylva, Lesley Terry, Doug VanderLaan, Paul Vasey, Eric Vilain, Kim Wallen, Leanne Wehlage, Ritch Savin Williams, Ken Zucker, and a “mystery person.”

  • What is sexual orientation and do women have one? – J. Michael Bailey
  • Can sexual orientation be changed? What we know, what we need to know, and why these questions are important – Lee Beckstead
  • Sexual attraction to others: A comparison of two models of alloerotic responding in men – Ray Blanchard
  • Asexuality and sexual orientation – Anthony Bogaert
  • No, really: Is homosexuality a paraphilia? – James Cantor
  • Measurement issues in research on sexual orientation – Meredith Chivers
  • Dear diary: Sexual fantasies and the menstrual cycle – Samantha Dawson, Kelly Suschinsky, & Martin Lalumière
  • The “Desire Disorder” in research on female sexual orientation: Potential contributions of Dynamical Systems Theory – Lisa Diamond
  • Viewing time as a measure of bisexual sexual interest – Meg Ebsworth & Martin Lalumière
  • Nudity as a disinhibiting cue in a date rape analogue – Annabree Fairweather & Martin Lalumière
  • Cross-cultural evidence that separation anxiety is linked to male androphilia – Laura Gothreau, Doug VanderLaan, Nancy Bartlett, & Paul Vasey
  • Learning processes and sexual preference – Heather Hoffmann
  • A sexual orientation for rapists? – Martin Lalumière & Grant Harris
  • An update on gender-related interests & a new photo-rating paradigm to assess the category-specificity of sexual attraction – Richard Lippa
  • Experiential factors in the development of sexual preferences: Lessons from the lowly and allegedly polygamous rat – James Pfaus, Tod Kippin, Genaro Coria-Avila, Nafissa Ismail, Shann Ménard, Hélène Gelez, & Mayte Parada
  • Are paraphilias pathologies? – Vernon Quinsey
  • Is sexual partner preference in rams ‘hard-wired’ prenatally by gonadal steroids? – Charles Roselli
  • Evidence for male bisexuality: Sexual arousal patterns of bisexual men revisited – Allen Rosenthal, David Sylva, Adam Safron, & J. Michael Bailey
  • The Butch Ideal: Concerns over masculine norms and psychological distress among gay men – Francisco Sánchez & Eric Vilain
  • Development of sexual orientation during childhood and adolescence – Ritch Savin-Williams
  • Is pedophilia a sexual orientation? – Michael Seto
  • A follow-up study of boys with gender identity disorder – Devita Singh, Susan Bradley, & Kenneth Zucker
  • Tell me how you feel: Explaining the sex difference in sexual concordance – Kelly Suschinsky & Martin Lalumière
  • Sexual arousal patterns in heterosexual and homosexual men and women: Results from neuroimaging – David Sylva, Adam Safron, Paul Reber, & J. Michael Bailey
  • Is Feederism an exaggeration of a functional mating strategy? – Lesley Terry, Kelly Suschinsky, Martin Lalumière, & Paul Vasey
  • Is male androphilia familial in non-Western populations? The case of a Samoan village – Doug VanderLaan & Paul Vasey
  • Evolution and male androphilia: Cross-cultural perspectives – Paul Vasey & Doug VanderLaan
  • Genetics and epigenetics of male sexual orientation – Eric Vilain
  • Is the human pattern of sexual orientation unique among primates? – Kim Wallen
  • Theorizing predictive markers of sexual orientation differentiation – Kenneth Zucker

In 2012, Archives of Sexual Behavior published a special section on the conference:

2015 conference

According to the 2015 published program, involved people and organizations were:

Organizers: Paul Vasey, Kelly Suchinsky & Jean-Baptiste Leca

Student poster awards: Kevin Hsu, Matthew Bramble, Samantha Dawson

Participants whose papers were presented include Kelly M. Babchishin, J. Michael Bailey, Ray Blanchard, Anthony F. Bogaert, Matthew Bramble, Lori A. Brotto, Brian Cash, James M. Cantor, Tamara Cibrían-Llanderal, Meredith L. Chivers, Genaro A. Coria-Avila, Lucas Court, Samantha J. Dawson, Lisa M. Diamond, Barnaby J. Dixson, Sanjay Dharmavaram, Lee Ellis, Heitor Fernandes, Aurelio José Figueredo, Katherine Frank, Katherine M. Fretz, Jose Gabrie, Melissa Garfield, Zachary Garfield, Eduard Playà González, Alasdair M. Goodwill, Boris B. Gorzalka, Jason Gosschalk, Matthew S. Grober, Noëlle Gunst, Raymond Hames, Ariel Handy, Lucas I. Hildebrandm Anthony Hoskin, Amanda Holley, Kevin J. Hsu, Jackie Huberman, S. Kathleen Hughes, Robyn Jackowich, Thomas W. Johnson, James Jones-Rounds, Martin L. Lalumière, Marie-Andrée Légère, Jonathan H. Leef, Jean-Baptiste Leca, Allen Lipsion, Richard Lippa, Anthony C. Little, Amy Lykins, Ryan Mallard, Sarah Merrill, Melanie Morrison, David A. Moskowitz, Tonje Persson, Lanna J. Petterson, James G. Pfaus, Malini Ratnasingam, Gerulf Rieger, Lesley Roberts, Lara Roach, Allen M. Rosenthal, Nicholas Rule, Alan Sanders, Ritch C. Savin-Williams, Megan L. Sawatsky, Scott W. Semenyna, Theodore Semon, Michael C. Seto, Malvina Skorska, Maggie Smith, Debra W. Soh, Skye Stephens, Matthew Stief, Kelly D. Suschinsky, Amanda D. Timmers, Eric Vilain, Doug P. VanderLaan, Neerja Vashist, Lucio Vinicius, Paul L. Vasey, Chao Wang, Richard J. Wassersug, Erik Wibowo, Hayley Wood, Michael Woodley, Morag A. Yule, Kenneth J. Zucker, Gonzalo Quintana Zunino

Financial supporters: Lee Ellis, Thomas W. Johnson, John Sylla, American Institute of Bisexuality, University of Lethbridge, and The Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada.

  • Viewing time as a measure of pedophilic sexual interest: A meta-analysis – Kelly M. Babchishin, Alexander F. Schmidt, Robert J. B. Lehmann
  • A taxonomy of human male bisexuality – J. Michael Bailey, Allen M. Rosenthal
  • Possible separate etiology of homosexuality in gay male only-children – Ray Blanchard, Doug P. VanderLaan, Malvina Skorska, Kenneth J. Zucker, Anthony F. Bogaert
  • Masculinizing gene expression and DNA methylation in neural stem cells and their differentiated progeny by a single exposure of testosterone: An In vitro approach of understanding hormonal organization – Matthew Bramble, Lara Roach, Allen Lipsion, Jason Gosschalk, Neerja Vashist, Eric Vilain
  • A test of the maternal immune hypothesis of men’s sexual orientation – Anthony F. Bogaert, Melvina Skorska, Chao Wang, Jose Gabrie, Kenneth Zucker, Doug VanderLaan, Ray Blanchard
  • Asexuality: Orientation, paraphilia, dysfunction, or none of the above? – Lori A. Brotto
  • A unified theory of typical and atypical sexual interest in men: Paraphilia, hypersexuality, asexuality, and vanilla as outcomes of a single, dual opponent process – James M. Cantor
  • Sexual psychophysiology and its complicated relationship with women’s sexual orientation – Meredith L. Chivers
  • Role-specialization among transgender androphilic males – Lucas Court, Paul L. Vasey
  • What’s in a look? Examining visual attention patterns of women across the Kinsey scale – Samantha J. Dawson, Katherine M. Fretz, Meredith L. Chivers
  • Sexual fluidity in women and men: What is the relevant time scale? – Lisa M. Diamond
  • Androgen exposure and sexual orientation: Biomarkers point toward a modified neuroandrogenic theory – Lee Ellis, Amy Lykins, Anthony Hoskin, Malini Ratnasingam
  • There’s something queer about primate sociality: Phenotypic and phylogenetic associations between sociality indicators and same-sex genital interactions across clades – Heitor Fernandes, Aurelio José Figueredo, Michael Woodley, Paul Vasey
  • Patterns in group sex as an erotic preference – Katherine Frank
  • The evolution and development of adult sexual plasticity – Matthew S. Grober
  • Male-bonded dyads in the mona monkeys of Grenada, West Indies: Potential for male bisexual behaviour in primates? – Noëlle Gunst, Jean-Baptiste Leca, Paul L. Vasey
  • Absence of evidence is not evidence of absence: Is homosexuality universal? – Raymond Hames, Zachary Garfield, Melissa Garfield
  • Autopedophilia: Evidence for erotic target location errors in pedohebephilic men – Kevin J. Hsu, J. Michael Bailey
  • Gender-specificity of women’s genital responses varies with stimulus order – Jackie Huberman, Meredith Chivers
  • The impact of voluntary castration on the sexual attractions, fantasies, and relationships of men – Robyn Jackowich, Thomas Johnson, Ariel Handy, Richard Wassersug
  • The empirical status of the preparation hypothesis of female genital responses – Martin L. Lalumière, Megan L. Sawatsky
  • Female bisexual behavior in Japanese macaques: A Kinsey scale for monkeys? – Jean-Baptiste Leca, Noëlle Gunst, Paul L. Vasey
  • Measuring sexual attraction with invisible images – Marie-Andrée Légère, Megan Sawatsky, Martin L. Lalumière
  • Assessing sexual orientation and category specificity in a representative sample of 2,500 United States adults – Richard Lippa
  • Overachieving and striving to avoid inferiority in gay men – Ryan Mallard, Lanna Petterson, Paul Vasey
  • From top to bottom: Assessing the debut, construction, and mutability of anal penetrative orientation of gay and bisexual men – David A. Moskowitz
  • Indicators of depression and anxiety and their relationship with sexual orientation among Canadian women – Lanna J. Petterson, Doug P. VanderLaan, Tonje Persson, Paul L. Vasey
  • Epigenetic mechanisms of pleasure and bonding: The confederacy of opioids, oxytocin, vasopressin, and dopamine – James G. Pfaus, Amanda Holley, Gonzalo Quintana Zunino, Tamara Cibrían-Llanderal, Genaro A. Coria-Avila
  • Global evidence for the kin selection hypothesis based on the individual and household characteristics of parents – Eduard Playà González, Lucio Vinicius, Paul Vasey
  • Sexual arousal: The correspondence of eyes and genitals – Gerulf Rieger, Brian Cash, Sarah Merrill, James Jones-Rounds, Sanjay Dharmavaram, Ritch Savin-Williams
  • A physiological manifestation of homonegativity and its relationship to affective states – Lesley Roberts, Melanie Morrison
  • Perceiving sexual orientation from minimal cues – Nicholas Rule
  • Genetics of sexual orientation – Alan Sanders
  • The sexual/romantic continuum: Mostly straight and mostly gay young men – Ritch C. Savin-Williams
  • Vaginal lubrication: A cue-specific sexual response in women? – Megan L. Sawatsky, Samantha J. Dawson, Martin L. Lalumière
  • Occupation preferences among Samoan men, women, and fa’afafine – Scott W. Semenyna, Paul L. Vasey
  • Dimensions of male asexuality: Sexual interests, behaviors, and arousal patterns – Theodore Semon, Maggie Smith, Michael Bailey
  • Gaps in what we know about erotic age preferences – Michael Seto
  • The role of postnatal stress in the relationship between sexual orientation and objective height in the Add Health data – Malvina Skorska, Anthony Bogaert
  • A peek inside a furry convention – Debra W. Soh, James Cantor
  • Sexual and gender minorities in Mumbai, India – Matthew Stief
  • Patterns of non-exclusivity in erotic age interests – Skye Stephens, Michael C. Seto, Alasdair M. Goodwill
  • Sexual concordance across the Kinsey: Assessing the relationship between sexual concordance and sexual attractions in women – Kelly D. Suschinsky, Meredith L. Chivers
  • Disgust and sexual responding to sexual and nonsexual cues – Amanda D. Timmers, Meredith L. Chivers, Lucas I. Hildebrand
  • Recent progress in establishing and explaining the link between Gender Dysphoria and Autism Spectrum Disorder in children – Doug P. VanderLaan, Jonathan H. Leef, Hayley Wood, S. Kathleen Hughes, Kenneth J. Zucker
  • Are dichotomous male monosexualities WEIRD? Insights from a Polynesia culture – Paul L. Vasey, Lanna J. Petterson, Barnaby J. Dixson, Anthony C. Little
  • The X in sex and sexual orientation: Lessons from animal models – Eric Vilain
  • Becoming a eunuch: Motivations for and sexual consequences of voluntary castration in the modern world – Richard J. Wassersug, Thomas W. Johnson
  • The effect of gonadal hormones on the sexuality of castrated males – Erik Wibowo, Richard Wassersug, Ariel Handy, Thomas Johnson
  • Sexual fantasy and masturbation among asexual individuals – Morag A. Yule, Lori A. Brotto, Boris B. Gorzalka

Archives of Sexual Behavior special section included:

2023 conference

Participants and attendees included: Jamie Agapoff, Zahrasadat Ahmadisoleymani, Kelly M. Babchishin, J. Michael Bailey, Rainer Banse, Suwat Chariyalertsak, Andrew Conru, Ashley K. Dhillon, Wojciech Ł. Dragan, Monika Folkierska-Żukowska, Francisco R. Gómez Jiménez, Lambert C. Heatlie, Jessica Hehman, Emma J. Holmes, P. Lynne Honey, Kevin J. Hsu, Daisy Z. Hu, “Phil Illy” [Phil Hutchinson], Henry H. Jang, Thomas W. Johnson, Oranitcha Kaewthip, “S. Rudd” [Scarlet Mason], Andreone T. Medrado, Marjan Moradi, James S. Morandini, Lanna J. Petterson, Mohammad Javad Sadeghi, Mostafa Sadr-Bazzaz, Catherine Salmon, Pongpun Saokhieo, Scott W. Semenyna, Michael C. Seto, Taweewat Supindham, Ali Talaei, Jaroslava V. Valentova, Doug P. VanderLaan, Paul L. Vasey, Richard J. Wassersug, Erik Wibowo, and Samantha T. S. Wong

In 2025, Paul Vasey published a special section of Archives of Sexual Behavior featuring presentations from the 2023 meeting:

References

2023 event

2015 event

2010 event

2005 event

2000 event

1995 event

  • Ellis, Lee; Ebertz, Linda [editors] (1998). Males, Females, and Behavior: Toward Biological Understanding. Praeger, ISBN 978-0275959418