The Psychologist Who Would Be Journalist

Back in August 2007, I mentioned the controversy surrounding the book The Man Who Would be Queen (Washington: Joseph Henry Press, 2003) by J. Michael Bailey, Professor of Psychology, Northwestern University. At the time, Professor Alice Domurat Dreger, also of Northwestern, had just posted a draft article on the controversy. Now that article, along with twenty-three commentaries and a reply from Dreger, has appeared in the June 2008 issue of the Archives of Sexual Behavior.

Dreger's article, the commentaries, and Dreger's response focus on big questions about the nature of transsexuality, the definitions of science, power relationships in research, and the ground rules of scholarly debates. Only a handful take up the smaller question of whether—as a matter of law and as a matter of ethics--Bailey should have sought IRB approval prior to writing his book. But that's the question that falls within the scope of this blog.