Fuckology

One of the twentieth century's most controversial sexologists - or "fuckologists," to use his own memorable term - John Money was considered a trailblazing scientist and sexual libertarian by some, but damned by others as a fraud and a pervert. Money invented the concept of gender in the 1950s, yet fought its uptake by feminists. He backed surgical treatments for transsexuality, but argued that gender roles were set by reproductive capacity. He shaped the treatment of intersex, advocating experimental sex changes for children with ambiguous genitalia. He pioneered drug therapy for sex offenders, yet took an ambivalent stance towards pedophilia. In his most publicized case study, Money oversaw the reassignment of David Reimer as female following a circumcision accident in infancy. Heralded by many as proof that gender is pliable, the case was later discredited when Reimer revealed that he had lived as a male since his early teens. In Fuckology, the authors contextualize and interrogate Money's writings and his practices.The book focuses on his three key diagnostic concepts, "hermaphroditism," "transsexualism," and "paraphilia," but also addresses his lesser-known work on topics ranging from animal behavior to the philosophy of science. The result is a comprehensive collection of new insights for researchers and students within cultural, historical, and gender studies, as well as for practitioners and activists in sexology, psychology, and patient rights.

"We see here critical sexuality studies confronting the work of the most influential of modern sexologists, John Money. The point is not to dismiss sexology - that has been done too often and too quickly in queer studies - but to engage with it in a sustained, scholarly manner. Downing, Morland, and Sullivan do that admirably, identifying the casual contradictions and unpacking the constitutive tensions in Money's thinking." (Peter Cryle University of Queensland) "John Money's influential and controversial career has never received the careful, critical, and nuanced attention it deserves - until now. Coauthors Downing, Morland, and Sullivan bring three very different forms of expertise to bear on Money's work and its legacy, in a study that should be of interest to scholars of medicine and sexuality alike." (Susan Stryker University of Arizona) "One of the most prominent and prolific sexologists of the second half of the twentieth century, John Money coined the term "gender" and pioneered the use of surgical procedures to treat intersex and transgender subjects. In this timely and important critical reassessment of Money's work, Downing, Morland, and Sullivan lay bare the inconsistencies and assumptions embedded in his conceptualisation of sex. The title of the book derives from Money's own term for his particular brand of sexology while also, as the authors astutely point out, providing the critical tools with which to fuck with sexology itself." (Elizabeth Stephens University of Queensland) "This book makes a unique and exciting contribution to the field, examining in detail Money's work on the concepts of 'hermaphroditism', 'transsexualism', and 'paraphilia.' It is a well-founded critique that goes to the heart of sexological research methodology and its underpinning assumptions. This work is queer, critical, historically astute, and politically engaged - offering an analysis that many of us have been looking forward to, and that will certainly contribute to our work." (Katrina Roen University of Oslo)

Lisa Downing is professor of French discourses of sexuality at the University of Birmingham, United Kingdom. Iain Morland has published many scholarly essays on the ethics, psychology, and politics of intersex. Nikki Sullivan is an honorary researcher in the Department of Media, Music, Communication, and Cultural Studies at Macquarie University.