Transsexual men and physical activities: The construction of the male body

Abstract

Considering the possibility of participating in physical activities to build physical characteristics such as strength and muscular rigidity by transsexual men, this study analyzed the latter’s relationship with physical activities in the process of “masculinization”. Subjects were eight transsexual male users of the services provided by the Total Health Care Ambulatory for Transvestites and Transsexuals in the city of João Pessoa, Paraíba. They answered socioeconomic questionnaires and semi-structured interviews, later submitted to Bicudo’s Phenomenological analysis proposal. This study concluded that respondents used physical activities to increase body mass and muscle definition – aspects that, in their views, refer to a masculine body, not only reinforcing their masculinity but also helping them to build their sexual identity.