Technologies of the Natural: ‘Male Enhancement’, Gender Confirmation Surgery, and the ‘Monster Cock’ by Jennifer N.H. Thomas B.A., (Sociology), Pacific University, 2010 B.A., (Spanish), Pacific University, 2010 Thesis Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences c Jennifer N.H. Thomas 2020 SIMON FRASER UNIVERSITY Fall 2020 Copyright in this work rests with the author. Please ensure that any reproduction or re-use is done in accordance with the relevant national copyright legislation. Declaration of Committee Name: Jennifer N.H. Thomas Degree: Doctor of Philosophy Thesis title: Technologies of the Natural: ‘Male Enhancement’, Gender Confirmation Surgery, and the ‘Monster Cock’ Committee: Chair: Pamela Stern Associate Professor Sociology & Anthropology Travers Supervisor Professor Sociology & Anthropology Michael Hathaway Committee Member Associate Professor Sociology & Anthropology Coleman Nye Examiner Assistant Professor Gender, Sexuality, and Women’s Studies Susan Stryker External Examiner Distinguished Chair Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Mills College ii iii Abstract Responding to Susan Stryker’s (2006) call to identify the “seams and sutures” of the ‘natural body’, this dissertation analyzes the social incarnation of the ‘natural male body’ through ‘male enhancement’ discourse in Canada and the United States (247). As one of the few sociological investigations into the medical practice of male enhancement, this research reorients our analytical gaze away from the somatic transformations of historically-oppressed people’s sexed bodies, towards bringing the male body, cis masculinity, and whiteness into the spotlight of critique. This investigation is grounded in fifty hours of online observations of a male enhancement forum for cis men interested in augmenting their genitals; and twenty in-depth, qualitative interviews with medical practitioners who specialize in male enhancement procedures. Drawing on the theoretical and analytical tradition of somatechnics, I juxtapose bodies and somatic transformations in relation to each other to reveal the underlying assumptions, justifications, and prohibitions for particular forms of bodily being. I first compare how male enhancement for cis men and gender confirming genital procedures for trans people are discursively produced in contrasting ways, despite how both sets of these procedures use overlapping medical knowledges to intervene on genitals, aiming to produce similar aesthetic results and to reduce patient suffering. Yet male enhancement is discursively framed as ‘restorative’ or ‘augmentative’ of the natural male body, whereas gender confirmation surgeries are rendered ‘constructive’ of an unnatural body. In the second half of my analysis, I demonstrate how male enhancements that result in ‘monster cocks’, by definition, make penetrative sexual practices impossible or cause sexual partners pain, thereby creating a tension between sexual practices that male the body, and dominance practices that accomplish masculinity. Reading the monster cock in relation to discourses about the ‘female reproductive body’, dyspareunia, and racialized bodies, I trace how male enhancement discourse works to shore up the contours of whiteness, cis masculinity, and the male body. This project aims to disrupt the naturalized white male body against which all others are measured, and attempts to make an intervention into how bodies come to matter. iv Keywords: male enhancement; augmentation phalloplasty; cis masculinity; trans embodiment; gender confirmation surgery; racialization and whiteness; somatechnics; the body and technology; medical discourse; naturalization v Acknowledgements No accomplishment is realized alone. This manuscript would not have been possible without a web of support and generous contributions from others. First I want to express my appreciation for the medical practitioners who participated in this research for your time, knowledge, and candor during our interviews. This dissertation would not exist without your openness and interest in this project, thank you. I thank all those involved in the supervision of this dissertation for sharing their time and expertise with me. Dr. Travers’ ongoing encouragement, support for my timeline towards completing this dissertation, and creation of professional opportunities for me were central to my success. Working on your gender justice projects has particularly left an indelible impression on me and my scholarship. Ever since Dr. Michael Hathaway joined my committee, I have been especially thankful for how your attention to history and careful consideration of voice and the audience have helped to shape this project. Dr. Bob Menzies’ thoughtful recommendations and genuine excitement about my research during my qualifying exams and the nascent phase of this investigation were a salve for my imposterism as a young PhD student, for which I will always be grateful. The expertise and analytical insights Dr. Coleman Nye brought to this project are invaluable; thank you for your genuine investment in the future development of this work. I owe so much gratitude to Dr. Susan Stryker, whose “Words to Victor Frankenstein” served as the thread of inspiration that connected the inception of this research to the culminating defence, and whose recommendations on theory will carry this project forward. The challenging questions each committee member posed at the defence created opportunities for me to think through this dissertation in novel and unexpected ways; the more I reflect vi on your comments, the more excited I am for how this project and my future research will develop as a result of your feedback. Many people whose paths intersected with mine throughout my graduate studies deserve special recognition. I want to express my gratitude for Dr. Bobby Parmar who answered what seemed for a decade like an unanswerable question, and offered actionable guidance that allowed me to recenter my energy on this dissertation. The analytical skills I gained working as a research assistant alongside Dr. Sharalyn Jordan and Dr. Hannah Wittman carried over into the creative processes of this manuscript; thank you both for providing me with critical learning experiences. I am grateful for Dr. Lara Campbell, Dr. Charles Bingham, and Dr. Cindy Patton, whose graduate courses transformed my understanding of feminist theory, Foucualt’s oeuvre, and academic writing, respectively. I also extend my appreciation to Dr. Steve Garlick and Dr. Cliff Leek for organizing conference panels that nurtured the ideas for this research. My friends, colleagues, and comrades helped make this manuscript possible. I wish to thank my writing buddies—especially Mychel Estevez, Shashi Bhat, Tania Arvanitidis, Lillian Deeb, and Dr. Kate Ellenberger—who stayed committed to our weekly work sessions. The stability, reliability, and friendship you offered me during an otherwise structureless and isolating pursuit of graduate studies truly enabled me to write this manuscript. I am particularly indebted to Dr. Kit Myers and Kath Bassett for generously volunteering to read and offer your thoughts on my analytical chapters; Dr. Maddie Knickerbocker for sharing resources and providing feedback on my writing about Indigenous Peoples; and Dr. Jakub Burkowicz for offering guidance at various stages during the degree, from my qualifying exams to designing my first course. I will fondly remember the conversation, laughter, and good food shared with Dr. Maureen Kihika and Esin Gozukara; our get-togethers at Bandidas helped sustain me throughout the graduate program. Liz Seward and Amber Coye deserve special recognition; thank you for your support and friendship during my field research while I battled the horrors of the LA housing market. I am grateful for Meagan Simon, Dr. Kyle Willmott, Lisa Poole, Dr. Debbie Dergousoff, Dana LaMonica, Kim Carter, vii and many others for the various forms of wisdom and community you shared with me along the way. Organizing with my colleagues in the Teaching Support Staff Union and beyond put many of the theories of social justice I was learning at SFU into daily practice. I am particularly indebted to Karen Dean and Dr. Scott Drake, who played decisive roles in instilling a sense of labour justice in me; and Dr. Derek Sahota, who always shows up, even on short notice, to advocate for our members’ labour and disability rights. I also wish to express my gratitude for Yi Chien Jade Ho, Melissa Roth, Jorji Temple, and Ben Levy alongside whom I learned so much. In solidarity with and in appreciation for the Sociology and Anthropology department staff, I want to thank Donna Couturier, Jeanne Persoon, Kim McKay, Chantelle Lorieau, Joan Byron, and every other staff member who assists graduate students throughout our tenure at SFU. The department would fall apart without the integral labour you perform. Becoming a teacher has been the most fulfilling experience of my graduate education. Sarah Louise Turner and Dr. Erin Aspenlieder deserve recognition for helping to shape me into the educator I am today. To Dr. Parin Dossa, I owe so much gratitude for entrusting me to teach your syllabus for Race, Immigration, and the Canadian State;I learned a tremendous amount about anti-oppressive pedagogy and critical race theory from you. Thanks to my students, my “budding sociologists”, from whom I continue to learn. You remind me why I love sociology. I hope my students