250,000 Eunuchs?
Laurie and Debbie say:
Richard Wassersug is a eunuch.
It all started with a diagnosis of prostate cancer in 1998, when I was 52. Two years later, after failed surgery and radiation, I started hormonal therapy. This meant taking chemicals that slow the growth of prostate cancer cells by depriving them of androgen  in effect, castrating the patient.
Chemical castration is the common treatment for advanced prostate cancer, and more than 250,000 American men are taking these drugs. But few people know of any men taking them, simply because we hide. It is shameful to be castrated.
That’s an understatement. Wassersug is remarkable, not only for coming out, and talking about what it’s like for him, but also for connecting his experience (and the experience of another quarter of a million men) with the ongoing cultural conversation about gender. If you’ve ever read any transgender (or intersexual) narratives, this article will sound surprisingly familiar. He’s on the same hunt for identity, and talking about it in the same ways. (In fact, he wrote about it a few years ago for Out Magazine.)
Part of the experience of looking for identity (as queer, as Jewish, as Chicano) is exploring your cultural/historical context.
Given the pervasive stereotype of eunuchs as ineffective wimps, it is no surprise that men dread this label. I became curious about whether the stereotype was true, and how eunuchs functioned in the past.
The first thing I discovered was that eunuchs were anything but mindless, cowardly automatons. There were philosophers (Abelard, Origen of Alexandria), saints (Ignatius of Constantinople), military leaders (Cheng Ho, Narses) and even assassins. They were the chamberlains, diplomats and senior government officials in the major long-lasting, dynastic governments across Asia for 3,000 years. Furthermore, descriptions of eunuchs’ physique and psychology mirrored many of the anatomical and emotional changes I experienced.
Another aspect of the identity quest is locating yourself in a spiritual or religious tradition.
Then I discovered the classicists’ hypothesis that the eunuchs of antiquity were models for our depiction of angels. God is thought to surround himself with angels as advisers and emissaries, who are identical in appearance to males castrated before puberty: tall, beardless, nonsexual beings with voices like the legendary castrati.
This eunuch-angel connection has helped me understand and adapt to the side effects of androgen deprivation. I don’t recall crying much as an adult, but since my castration I’ll weep while watching Mothers Against Drunk Driving commercials…. The truth is that I’ve become more sensitive to the trials and tribulations of others. I am thus no longer embarrassed by my tears. I consider them humanizing, just as they are for angels.
Yet another aspect of coming out is finding community:
Singing in a group never appealed to me before my castration, because it offered little opportunity for individual advancement. But recently I joined a choir, where I now enjoy the richness of the collective sound born of collaboration  and how much I’ve gained by accepting how much I’ve changed.
eunuch, chemical castration, coming out, gender, identity, testosterone,
April 2nd, 2007 at 11:12 am
That’s interesting. I was struck by the similarity between his experience of becoming a eunuch, and my experience of chronic illness and disability. Then I remembered he didn’t choose to become a eunuch ab initio, as a desired sexual identity. It was forced on him by illness, and there were probably other associated symptoms. I don’t know if it’s just a matter of moving further from the patriarchal position of power (respectable young healthy person, male or honorary male) or if it’s the intrinsic pain of the transition, like teething.
April 27th, 2007 at 7:56 am
I just happened upon this blog. Thanks for the kind words on my essay. I have, in fact, written more about eunuchdom (as well as queer identities) elsewhere. Androgen deprivation is the focus of most of my current research and not just a motivation for personbal essays.
I’d be happy to communicate more with the two of you directly, outside the blog mode.
Richard Wassersug
April 28th, 2007 at 1:48 pm
Dear Richard Wassersug,
Glad you liked our comments. If some of the writings you refer to are on line, I thnk our readers would be interested in your posting the links here.
April 29th, 2007 at 4:05 am
Not a problem. I have pdfs of most of my papers in this area. If readers of this blog have true academic interest in modern day eunuchdom, they are welcome to check out my publication list for anything that particularly relates to their interests. That list is posted at:
http://www.anatomy.dal.ca/Wassersug/RichardsCV.html
Essays on the sexuality and social roles of eunuchs in history and their implication to modern emasculated males came out in Gay & Lesbian Review and in Social Science and Medicine in the last three years.
An articles on voluntary eunuchs was published in 2004 in Archives of Sexual Behavior. Two much larger, follow-up papers are in press in Journal of Sexual Medicine. A papers on prostate cancer patients reaction to chemical castration appeared in the Canadian Journal of Urology in 2005.
A short essay, which just begins to explore “eunuch” as an alternative gender identity, appeared in OUT magazine in 2003. [I hope to write more on that in the future.]
Other papers and letters have been published in the last year in Cancer, in Sexualities, and in the Journal of Sex and Marital Therapy.
I can be reached at tadpole@dal.ca. f people want any of this stuff, I would appreciate if they would provide me with information on their academic background plus origin and depth of interest in castration. I ask because interests in this topic ranges from palliative treatment of advanced prostate cancer to hardcore S/M kink. [I am always happy to correspond with others who share my academic interests, but I have NO credentials in counseling.]
I do not (shall not) be tracking this blog on any regular basis, so if people are really interested in knowing more about living without testosterone and the psychology of androgen deprivation, they should contact me directly.
August 19th, 2009 at 5:13 pm
I’ve been taking anti-androgens since the age of 19. First I was taking spironolactone (it’s cheap) and then I used Androcur for over a year while studying abroad (Androcur was much cheaper there, not like the incredibly high cost of drugs in the Philippines) then back in the Philippines I used spironolactone again. I was on 2 x 50mg Androcur by my doctor and I didn’t notice any difference to 200mg spironolactone.
I never noticed any negative side effects. I’ve had many experiences with people thinking I’m as low as 18 years of age and I’m in my late 20s. The anti-androgens do make me look younger because lack of testosterone prevents further masculine development. It’s like I’m still a teenager and I find girls are more attracted to me then my peers.
I’m a Bible believing Christian and knowing the words of Jesus Christ himself in Mathew 19:12, I decided to start anti-androgens to help me against sexual sin. I actually think anti-androgens might be a good idea to prevent puberty in transsexuals / gays / bakla so that if the person really is transsexual (a sin that one is born with of their flesh) they would be able to cope better as a chemical eunuch and thus reduce the amount of suicides by transsexuals and transgender persons. Hormone therapy to become a male to female transsexual with the appearance of a girl is a sin by the Word of God but by the Word of God it is not a sin to prevent puberty by chemical castration. The person can then choose at a later, mature age if they really want to become a man. So I think it is a good option for those whom there is even a small chance that they might be a gay transsexual.
August 19th, 2009 at 5:38 pm
I just want to add that if you want to take anti-androgens you should not do this without a qualified doctor’s supervision and never get drugs “off the street” and never without prescription through the internet. Side effects can vary from person to person. Ask your doctor if there will be any harmful or permanent side effects. My doctor told me that with my dose of 2 x 50mg, infertility would only be temporary and could be reversed by discontinued use of the medication but this might not be the case for others. As a further disclaimer I am not forcing anyone to use anti-androgens. I am merely sharing my experience and thoughts.