Robin Pinnel is a publicist at Joseph Henry Press, the publishing arm of the National Academies Press.

Pinnel is credited by name as author of the following "article" about The Man Who Would Be Queen by J. Michael Bailey. This glorified press release dated 21 March 2003 was placed in several queer publications around the time of the book's publication in Spring 2003.

GAY, STRAIGHT OR LYING? SCIENCE HAS THE ANSWER

by: Robin Pinnel, Joseph Henry Press

Are gay men genuinely more feminine than other men? (Yes.) Are gay men really drawn to more feminine professions? (Yes.) Are all male transsexuals women trapped in men's bodies? (No. Some of them are men who are just plain turned on by the idea of becoming women.)

In THE MAN WHO WOULD BE QUEEN: THE SCIENCE OF GENDER-BENDING AND TRANSSEXUALISM, author J. Michael Bailey, an internationally recognized researcher and expert on the origins of human sexual orientation, explores many of the stereotypes society typically associates with gay men and transsexuals.

"Male femininity is a phenomenon that most people find interesting but which has been ignored by science due to concerns ranging from social conservatism to sensitivity -- or less charitably, political correctness," Bailey explains. "For example, despite widespread stereotypes that gay men tend to be feminine, research related to the stereotype has only recently been conducted."

Based on his own original research, Bailey's book is grounded firmly in science. But as he demonstrates, science doesn't always deliver predictable or even comfortable answers.

"Many gay men will not be comfortable with the assertion that they do, in fact, walk and talk different from a straight men," Bailey asserts. "Many transsexuals do not like the idea that there are two kinds: the typical 'woman trapped in a man's body' and the autogynephilic transsexual, who is a man who is so turned on by the idea of himself as a woman that he wants to become one. But my conclusions come from years of research."

Bailey has studied, interviewed, and made friends with hundreds of men whose sexual preferences and behavior run the gamut from butch to feminine to just dressing in women's clothing for heterosexual pleasure and men who only feel fulfilled by being transformed surgically into women. He has studied feminine men in the industrialized world as well as those in the developing world who either are feminine or who perform ritualistic "feminine" sexual behavior that may shock the average reader.

The conclusions to which Bailey came after years of psychological profiles, statistical studies, interviews, and comparison of his research with that fellow scientists, may not always be politically correct, but they are scientifically accurate, thoroughly researcher, and occasionally startling. THE MAN WHO WOULD BE QUEEN is a fresh and frank look at a compelling topic.

The full-text of THE MAN WHO WOULD BE QUEEN is available to read for free online at http://www.nap.edu/catalog/10530.html

PRAISE FOR THE MAN WHO WOULD BE QUEEN

"...recommended reading for anyone interested in the study of gender identity and sexual orientation. ... Bailey has produced a thoughtful book that cites recent scientific studies on homosexuality and transsexuality. It is written, however, in a style that makes it easily accessible to any reader." -- OUT MAGAZINE, March 2003

"All of Bailey's musings are interesting and provocative, and his evidence is often powerful... Bailey has written a book worth reading. ...it will have its readers, both pro and con, thinking and talking..." -- FRONTIERS, March 14, 2003

"...fascinating revelations... In a personable and straightforward manner, [Bailey] describes his research techniques and reproduces the questionnaires given to his subjects. ... Despite its provocative title, a scientific yet superbly compassionate exposition." -- KIRKUS REVIEWS, January 2003

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

J. Michael Bailey is a professor of psychology at Northwestern University and an internationally recognized researcher and expert on the origins of human sexual orientation. His studies of sexual orientation in twins have been widely cited in the scientific literature and are mentioned in virtually all introductory psychology textbooks. His work has also been featured in a variety of newspapers, including THE NEW YORK TIMES, as well as in NEWSWEEK and DISCOVER. He is also widely known to those interested in sex research as the creator and owner of the listserv SEXNET.
ABOUT THE JOSEPH HENRY PRESS

THE MAN WHO WOULD BE QUEEN is published by the Joseph Henry Press, trade publisher for the National Academies--National Academy of Sciences, National Academy of Engineering, Institute of Medicine, and National Research Council. The Joseph Henry Press can be found online at http://www.jhpress.org. [3/21/03]