A fourth trans woman files a formal complaint
with the Vice-President of Research of Northwestern University
regarding the research conduct of J. Michael Bailey
July 30, 2003


July 30, 2003

C. Bradley Moore, Vice President for Research
Office of the Vice President for Research
Northwestern University
Rebecca Crown Center, Room 2-223
633 Clark Street
Evanston, Illinois 60208-1108

 

Dear Dr. Moore:

I wish to file a formal complaint regarding the research misconduct of Professor J. Michael Bailey. It has come to my attention that I have been a participant in a research study conducted by Dr. Bailey without my knowledge and without my consent.

Dr. Bailey's book, The Man Who Would Be Queen - The Science of Gender-bending and Transsexualualism, contains numerous observations and reports of interviews with Anjelica Kieltyka, aka. "Cher", and with a number of Hispanic Transexual women. I am a close friend of both Anjelica and one of the Hispanic women - "Juanita". Through my relationship with both these transexual women, I had met Professor Bailey a number of times , including at "Juanita's" wedding in Sept.2000, mentioned in Prof. Bailey's book. Through these informal meetings with all of them, it was arranged for me to meet with Professor Bailey, formally, in order to obtain my SRS letter, just like the other transexual women mentioned in the book. Prof. Bailey writes : "My own recent research has focused on the homosexual type......most of the homosexual transsexuals I have met, I met through Cher", who is the other type of transsexual(p. 177). Apparently, I am Prof. Bailey's other type of transexual, similar to "Cher" - the nonhomosexual type. That is what he wrote on my SRS letter which is part of my medical records. Prof. Bailey interviewed me on Dec. 19, 2002; "Juanita" and Anjelica had been responsible in getting me this important interview.

At the time I was unaware that I or "Juanita" or Anjelica or any of the other Hispanic Transexual women were subjects of a research study, and I did not receive, nor was I asked to sign, an informed consent document. My letter of complaint is in part, support of Ms. Kieltyka and the other women who filed complaints against Dr. Bailey's conduct and misuse of the SRS interviews as research. I am familiar with all of them and with their grievances against Prof. Bailey with which I share.

At no time were any of us aware of our status with Dr. Bailey as research subjects, nor were any of us asked to provide written informed consent. My sole purpose of meeting with Dr. Bailey was to obtain the most important Ph'D level (SRS)letter for my surgery. "Juanita's" and Anjelica's sole purpose for introducing me to Prof. Bailey, ( as was Ms. Kieltyka's for "Juanita" ), was for the all important SRS approval letter.


Not until I was told about Prof. Bailey's book, and read portions of it pertaining to my friends, "Juanita", and especially the classification of Anjelica, a.k.a. "Cher" as "autogynophilic" - nonhomosexual did I realize that my letter from Prof. Bailey classified me the same way and with the same defamatory consequences. Anjelica Kieltyka was misrepresented as a research subject for "Autogynophilia", which she is not. What she is, what I am, are two proud transexual women, both Lesbian. To have Prof. Bailey describe us as examples of his recent research and have everyone who reads and learns from this most heinous book to see us in that context is unconscionable, and for Anjelica and I, more then humiliating. We were unwittingly exploited by Prof. Bailey and his abuse of our interviews with him, obtaining from us, through deception, private and intimate details of our personal lives. What makes matters worse is how grossly inaccurate his "research" results are, based on information he gleaned from us during those SRS interviews and what seems apparent now, from all those casual meetings with him, including "Juanita's" wedding. More to the point, Prof. Bailey arbitrarily selected information, ( data? ) from our formal SRS interviews and from informal social conversations to fit (prove?)his two-cell classification scheme. What information did not fit or in my case and that of one of the other women who has also filed a formal complaint, our entire "case study" obtained in exactly the same manner as the other "Data Samples", by way of the SRS interviews and informal interviews were left out completely. Our two "Data Points" compromised his results, we did not fit into his scheme, and were left out. Specifically and succinctly, Prof. Bailey excluded "Victoria" (someone well known to a number of us seriously involved and concerned in this matter -Anjelica Kieltyka, "Juanita", Professors Lynn Conway and Deirdre McCloskey and myself) because she was similar in every way to the classification type "Homosexual Transexual" except she was not promiscuous nor a prostitute. Prof. Bailey excluded me ( also well known to Anjelica, "Juanita" - she was my roommate after the breakup of her marriage - and the others ) because I was similar in almost no way what-so-ever to the classification type "Autogynophilia" non-homosexual transexual except being born male, attracted to women and having been married to a woman in that former male identity. I am remarkably feminine in appearance and manner ( or so I am told ), unlike what Prof. Bailey describes in his book, (p. 167-168). I did not lie to Prof. Bailey about my sexual orientation toward women, in fact I explained to him a growing bisexual preference. This contradicts Bailey's book on (p.172-173). Finally, I transitioned as young as the so-called "Homosexual Transexuals", am as attractive as they and have worked successfully as a Pre-op "she-male" escort for men. All this contradicts and confounds Prof. Bailey's scheme. P. 180-181 and numerously referenced throughout the "Transsexual Science" portions of his "junk science" book. All of this supports the allegations made by Professors Lynn Conway and Deirdre McCloskey in their formal complaint, with which I am familiar. Prof. Bailey misinformed us about the dual/deceptive nature of those SRS interviews and his book gravely misinforms the public by perverting our histories with seriously hurtful consequences. The damage to our lives and the lives of all the other Transexual women who were unwitting research subjects and "guest lecturers" is irretrievable. His personal misconduct in using "friendship" and taking advantage of our personal lives obtained through our interviews is inexcusable. If I knew then, what I know now about Dr. Bailey's dishonest and deceptive tactics, I would never have accepted that classification/diagnosis of me ( as Non-homosexual Transexual ), in the SRS letter. The dubious nature of my SRS letter, as well as the serious consequences of that classification in that SRS Letter was revealed to me on p. 206 of his book : "My undergraduate students at Northwestern...are especially hesitant to support surgery...once they learn about autogynephilia" [non-homosexual transexual] and "The idea of men...having vaginas is incomprehensible to them...When I press them, they say something like the following: 'But they don't have the wrong body. They are mentally ill." Let me assure you Dr. Moore, as with the other transexual women, misrepresented in his book and the "transexual lecture series" , I am not, we are not, mentally ill. For Dr. Bailey to allow his students to come to that conclusion; based on his teaching of his research, (using me, "Juanita" and Anjelica and the other Hispanic Transexual women inappropriately and without our permission as research subjects )is irresponsible and inexcusable.

As with Anjelica Kieltyka and all the other Transexual women who had received SRS letters from Prof. Bailey, I did not realize until recently that your office has an interest in the protection of human subjects. I was unaware at the time of my protections, and I want the damage to my character and identity repaired. Dr. Bailey's deceit and exploitation of me and the other Transexual women must not go unpunished. His irreverent use and casual disregard for the feelings and concerns of his research subjects is misconduct of the most serious nature. He must be seriously reprimanded.

Because of the grave import and consequences of his classification scheme and his exploitation of my life on the lives of other transexual women, and the extremely prejudiced and warped view people will have of transexuals because of his book, I ask that there be a formal investigation into Dr. Bailey's conduct in the research reported in his book. If, as I expect, he is found to be in violation of University and federal policies, I expect the University to respond appropriately.

 

Sincerely,

"Anonymous"

 

cc. Henry Bienen, President
Lawrence B. Dumas, Provost
_____________________

 


 
This page is part of Lynn Conway's
"Investigative report into the publication of
J. Michael Bailey's book on transsexualism
by the National Academies"