James Morandini is an Australian psychologist and anti-transgender activist.
Do not go to Morandini for therapy of any kind. Instead look for supportive local resources.
Background
Morandini earned a bachelor’s degree in 2009 from University of Newcastle and a doctorate from University of Sydney in 2016.
Anti-transgender activism
Morandini is an “autogynephilia” activist. This transphobic sex-fueled mental illness was created in 1989 and is supported by a small group of activists from sexology’s conservative fringe.
In 2023 Morandini presented research titled “Bisexual Phenomena Among Autogynephilic Men.”
In 2023 Morandini led an online panel of prominent “autogynephilia” activists, including Anne Lawrence, “Strawberry Lemonade Kristina,” Kevin Hsu, J. Michael Bailey, and “Phil Illy.”
2023 correspondence
On October 26, 2023, Morandini respectfully requested that this page be removed or revised. The reasons mentioned included Morandini’s therapeutic support for hundreds of gender diverse adolescents and supportive involvement in trans-led organizations. My response is below.
Thank you for your message. The term “autogynephilia” is transphobic in the same way “nymphomania” is misogynistic. The issue is not the phenomenon, but your reification of an idea that is at its core biased and thus unscientific.
It took feminist activists over a century to convince misogynistic and biased scientists to stop using the term “nymphomania” because it is unscientific. It has taken trans activists and scientist allies decades to convince transphobes to stop using the term “autogynephilia.” You are one of the last holdouts.
I understand that some people have latched onto “autogynephile” as an identity the way some women latched onto “nymphomaniac” as an identity. “Autogynephilia” as a term appeals to a very specific type of person: neurodiverse, fixated on collecting and categorizing, socially isolated/eccentric, rigid thinking. That makes it very hard for them to let go of bad ideas, in the way it’s hard to convince believers that horoscopes or Myers-Briggs types are unscientific. It helps them make sense of the world, and they “see themselves” in the scheme.
Via Ekins and King (2012):
[Anne] Lawrence says that on reading Blanchardās journal articles that she experienced the ākind of epiphany that trans people often feel when first coming across words and formulations that fit and work for themā (Lawrence 1999a). Not only do they feel empowered to make sense of their predicament, but the formulations are proof to them that they are not alone.
People have invested their lives in this bad idea, and they succumb to the sunk cost fallacy rather than entertain the idea they might be mistaken about something so deeply important to them.
I know there is hope for someone like you. Even transphobic sexologists walked away from “erotic target location error” because of its obvious bias, replacing it with “identity inversion.” The issue is not the phenomenon, but the term. “Paraphilia” in general and “autogynephilia” in particular are based on a disease model that impedes scientific progress.
I have written extensively about value-neutral alternatives proposed by scientists and activists:
- genderplay or gender play (used since middle 20th century)
- crossdreaming (proposed by Jack Molay)
- interest in feminization and interest in masculinization (proposed by Andrea James)
- female embodiment fantasies and male embodiment fantasies (proposed by Julia Serano)
- erotic femaling and erotic maling (proposed by Richard Ekins and Dave King)
- Tiresian fantasies (proposed by Will Powers)
I have also written extensively about value-neutral terms used by these communities to describe themselves, like fujoshi and sissy. The issue is not the phenomenon, but the biased term you are using.
Science proceeds through definitional refinement, and activism is an important part of guiding science toward value-neutral terminology.
If you are interested in learning about the bleak future of “autogynephilia” and its proponents, I recommend Nymphomania: A History by Carol Groneman.
I have spoken at The Gender Centre and consider it an important resource. I hope for the sake of your career and legacy that you reconsider your allegiance to a transphobic cult within sexology and within the community of sex and gender minorities.
Media
Kristina Anj (July 11, 2023). Transgender In A Blender: Episode 3 – Youth Is Not Wasted On The Young with James Morandini. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WMvNkGQCogs
Gender & Sexuality Symposiums (August 25, 2023) āBecoming what we loveā ETII Symposium: 25th August, 2023. https://vimeo.com/873801601
Resources
King Street Psychology Clinic (kingstreetpsychologyclinic.com.au)
- James Morandini
- https://www.kingstreetpsychologyclinic.com.au/research/james-morandini
Twitter (twitter.com)
LinkedIn (linkedin.com)