Trance-Sexual:
The Writings of Rachel Pollack

Introduction

Award-winning writer Rachel Pollack sometimes describes herself as a "trance-sexual new woman," a phrase that expresses her vision of transsexuality as a spiritual path. Her writing has influenced me deeply, and I am grateful that she has allowed me to present two of her most significant essays here.

Archetypal Transsexuality

Rachel writes eloquently about transsexual spirituality, emphasizing the passion, power and transcendence of our experience. This article, which appeared in Issue #9 of TransSisters, is a concise introduction to many of her ideas.

Abandonment to the Body's Desire

One of the issues Rachel explores in this important essay is the way genital surgery can allow us to experience our true selves -- including our androgynous or masculine aspects -- with authenticity and acceptance. "Abandonment..." was first published in the Fall 1992 issue of Rites of Passage, the original newsletter of the New Women's Conference.

© 2011 by Anne A. Lawrence, M.D., Ph.D. All rights reserved.