Volume 3 (2008) ISSN 1751-7788 The Changing Female-To-Male (FTM) Voice Alexandros N. Constansis University of York Introduction ‘At the end of last millennium’, Stephen Whittle states when introducing Reclaiming Genders, ‘[…] transsexuals were rarely documented, except in myth and legend, or in documents from the church courts after their trials for blasphemy or sodomy.’ 1 Though this is not the case anymore, the new level of attention is, at most times, a mixed blessing. Largely derived from a non- transsexual perspective, be it medical, general academic or tabloid sensationalism, this is one of the rare cases when attention equates to less visibility. Those who get noticed are those least compliant to a binarian, male- female, perspective. Considering that the purpose of ‘treatment’ provided to trans-individuals is to make them conform more easily within the binary, it is not surprising that insider views consider that ‘[…] transsexuals are continually and perpetually erased in the cultural and institutional world.’ 2 This attitude has only recently begun to be counteracted by the increasing number of transacademic or activist works. However, most of these works frequently succumb to broad generalisations. My research project, ‘The Changing FTM Voice’, since its very conception in 2002, has aspired to help the new transvocal persona to be recognised and treated as a rightful individual, neither a subcategory nor an inconvenience. The history of this work, like other experimental material, bore an initially personal character. This article will reflect this quality when referring to the author’s own experience between 2003 and 2004. 1 Like most transsexuals, the writer started having clear indications of his gender dysphoria in early childhood. Gifted with an unusually deep speaking and singing voice as well as masculine manners from the start, he had to overcome issues of harassment and discrimination before reaching adolescence. Growing up in the transgender-unfriendly Greek capital during the late sixties and seventies, however, this led to introversion. The future author avoided the use of his voice in public. Fortunately, that struggle never turned him against his voice, which became his only solace until 1983 when he became a professional singer. Whether amateur or professional, though, his singing voice has always remained associated with his true self. Therefore, when in 2002 transitioning from ‘female’ to male became the only viable option, he became determined to take his voice with him on his journey. This article describes the methods and results of his own as well as other participants’ transition to a vocal manhood. The initially personal account, when first presented in public in 2004 following the completion of a one year programme, 3 challenged conventional views about the inevitability of the loss of singing FTM voices during transition. The author 2