Aaron Devor

Aaron Devor
Portrait of Aaron Devor by Blake Little (2020)
Born1951 (age 74–75)
OccupationSociologist
EmployerUniversity of Victoria
Websitehttps://onlineacademiccommunity.uvic.ca/ahdevor/

Aaron H. Devor is a Canadian sociologist and sexologist known for his work in transgender studies. Devor has taught at the University of Victoria since 1989 and is the former dean of graduate studies. He was the inaugural Chair in Transgender Studies at the University of Victoria, and the founder and subject matter expert of the Transgender Archives at the University of Victoria. He started and hosted the Moving Trans History Forward conferences from 2014-2025. Maclean's described Devor as "an internationally respected expert on gender, sex and sexuality."

Life and education

Devor earned a bachelor's degree in psychology from York University in 1971, a master's degree in communications from Simon Fraser University in 1985, and a Ph.D. in sociology from the University of Washington in 1990. A trans man, Devor transitioned in 2002 at age 51.

Career

Devor is a member of the World Professional Association for Transgender Health, co-authoring the Standards of Care versions 6 and 7 and sitting on the Standards of Care revision committee since 2018. As of 2025, he is also chair of the Archives Committee.[needs update]

He has collected many first-person narratives of transsexual experiences and has done extensive biographical research on Reed Erickson.

Devor's book, The Transgender Archives: Foundations for the Future, was a finalist for the Lambda Literary Award for Nonfiction in 2015.

In 2016, through the Tawani Foundation, Jennifer Pritzker gave a $2 million donation to create the world's first academic Chair in Transgender Studies, at the University of Victoria; Devor was chosen as the inaugural chair.

Selected publications

References

  1. ↑ "Aaron H. Devor - Sociology". University of Victoria. Retrieved February 28, 2025.
  2. ↑ Devor, Aaron H. (1997). "How I Became a Sexologist". In Bullough, Bonnie; Bullough, Vern; Fithian, Marilyn; Hartman, William; Klein, Randy (eds.). How I Got Into Sex. Amherst: Prometheus. pp. 87–95.
  3. ↑ "the fifth estate: Becoming Ayden". CBC News. October 13, 2004. Archived from the original on November 13, 2004.
  4. 1 2 "CV-25" (PDF). University of Victoria. 2025. Retrieved February 27, 2025.
  5. 1 2 "Transgender studies chair at UVic will be world's first". CBC News. January 15, 2016. Retrieved June 27, 2016.
  6. ↑ "University of Victoria announces world's first transgender studies chair". The Globe & Mail. The Canadian Press. January 15, 2016. Archived from the original on July 23, 2016. Retrieved June 27, 2016.
  7. ↑ Flegg, Erin (March 25, 2014). "Victoria hosts first conference on archiving trans history". Xtra Magazine. Retrieved May 13, 2024.
  8. ↑ MacQueen, Ken (May 26, 2003). "BOY VS. GIRL". Maclean's. Archived from the original on August 11, 2010.
  9. ↑ "Presenters". Gender Odyssey Conference. Archived from the original on March 29, 2014.
  10. ↑ "Aaron Devor, PhD". WPATH World Professional Association for Transgender Health. Retrieved February 28, 2025.
  11. ↑ "Advisory Board". Digital Transgender Archive. Retrieved February 28, 2025.
  12. ↑ Green, Alex V. (February 5, 2020). "Preserving transgender histories is Aaron Devor's life's work". University Affairs. Retrieved February 28, 2025.
  13. ↑ "The 27th Annual Lambda Literary Award Finalists". Lambda Literary. March 4, 2015. Retrieved February 28, 2025.
  14. ↑ Rhodes, Dawn (January 19, 2016). "Jennifer Pritzker's foundation donates $2 million for transgender studies". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved October 16, 2020.