The following comments are excerpts from emails received from readers in response to the first printing of Androphilia.  If you have read the book and would like to leave a comment of your own, please do so below.

By leaving a comment, you give Jack Donovan/Malebranche permission to use that comment in the future as he sees fit. No full names, email addresses or personal information will ever be published without express permission.

“I am currently reading this book by Malebranche “Androphilia”, and being an ex-Navy man who also grew up in the military, I must agree with what I have read so far about male sexuality among men. I find it interesting that he has pretty much said what I have been feeling/experiencing most of my life: that I prefer simple male sexual bonding and relationships with other regular men like myself. So where do we all go from here?”

- Tim

“I have only just started……but feel I have found what I have been looking for the majority of waking life in your book. Even if i were to stop where I am right now and never pick it up again, I still want to thank you for helping me finally find the identity that I have known all along and simply never had a name for. It’s a beautiful thing, and what I have been searching for.”

- Alex

“This book was an amazing and liberating read for me. As one who, while not the most masculine guy in the world, is absolutely repulsed by much of the what “gay culture” has to offer, I thought that I was somehow a misfit. Your book was a revelation that there is nothing wrong with me, that I’m not some dysfunctional semi-fag, because I prefer regular bars, hate the whole “shaving” fad, don’t particularly care about Liza Manelli, and don’t allow every facet of my multi-nuanced being to be destroyed in the name of my sexuality.”

- Adrian

“I just want you to know that I appreciate the book and the new term, “androphilia” (at least neww for me) to describe myself. I have never been comfortable in the gay community but never knew there was an alternative way of approaching who I am. ”

- Tim

“Thank you for Androphilia. I thought it brilliant, well-researched and well-written. I learned a great deal of useful information and found it refreshingly honest and inspiring as well. I wish that more gay-identified men were open-minded enough to actually read your work instead of responding to caricatures of what they think you’ve written.”

- Christopher

“Androphilia, the book resonated with me from the start. From the statement that “Gay is Dead”, to the chapter, Toward A Masculine Idea. As a soldier I hold the 7 Army values to be true. Loyalty – Duty – Respect – Selfless Service – Honor – Integrity – Personal Courage, which makes up the acronym, LDRSHIP. Thanks for your insight and assistance!”

- William

“I appreciate your book as it very much mirrors my own feelings about the gay culture. It disturbs me to some degree that I have not heard more about this book and the homosexual sub-culture it represents. To me it was like a breath of fresh air. My theory has always been; there are far more homosexuals who are not involved in the gay culture as they feel no identity with it and live for the most part a straight lifestyle. ”

- Mark

“Thank you for writing your book. I am a 42 year old MALE that has always felt like an on looker to gay life. I have always been homosexual, my earliest memories are of admiration for the male form, catching glances of maleness and when I came out at 19 I entered the “Gay” seen. This whole event in my life made me feel completely estranged. You see I’m just an everyday guy who likes being a guy, i like cars, gardening, house restoration, boxing, hiking etc. I was raised in a close nit family with two sisters. I told my mother when I was 19 that I was gay. She was sitting beside me on my bed and the first thing she said to me was, “so does that mean you want to have a sex change operation”. My god, imagine what i felt like. No way, I love my man bits and I was probably more shocked by her reaction than she was by my confession.Anyway, for me a life of trying to find my self in a “gay” community never really happened. I met my man and have been together for 18 years. One of my friends (who happens to be transgendered) has a saying that me and my partner are the “straightest gay couple she knows”. Were just two guys who happen to love each other. The rest of my life is pretty much male. Thanks for your book. It has enabled me to finally reconcile the bits about me that never reconciled with the “gay” life I cannot live. You have helped me complete a chapter in my book of life.”

- Andrew

“I think your book is great, and I am so glad that another gay man can talk openly about rejecting the mainstream image of what a gay man is supposed act like. I’ve never felt like I fit into the whole subculture and have sometimes been turned off by the images I’ve seen. Thanks for bringing some insight on this subject.”

- Mike

“I recently purchased your book online, and I read it from cover to cover in one sitting. I was truely amazed and inspired. For a long time I’ve been disgusted with the whole Gay Community. I’ve been attraced to men for as long as I can remember, but I never had anything in common with gay guys. It’s nice to see I’m not the only one. Thanks.”

- William

“Your book has singlehandedly changed my life. I’m only 24, but since coming out during my freshman year of college, I have – in only five years – become quickly disgusted by the social construct into which so many have tried to categorize me.

I’m not a hulking lumberjack or even much of a sportsman, but I appreciate masculinity and the attraction between two men. I have always had trouble finding a mate because even when I try to be tolerant of the clear attribute gay men adopt in that sense of being internally “girly” (even to the most minute degree), I can’t help but be immediately turned off.”

- Elliot

“I find your book well written. The language is fluid and I find it easy to understand. There are many points you make that I agree with and a few that I do not. But with the difference in our viewpoints, I like that you challenge the reader on why they believe or feel the way they do on the particular issue. But hey, it is YOUR manifesto and I respect you for your viewpoint. That to me is why it is an important piece of work for us same-sex loving (and lusting) men.

“I identify with your manifesto because I was basically asexual till the age of 18 so I had other deeply loved interest to avoid thinking or facing up to my own sexuality. And I think that made me feel SO different when I finally acknowledged and started to explore my sexual desires. And that is why I was so eager to read your book. And I find out that I am still my own unique person. I could be an “andro” but maybe not. I totally agree with the “divisive, limiting gay society” and that we are men first. That is such a refreshing attitude.”

- Steve

“I was on vacation last April in San Diego and while I was looking for some books at a Borders Bookstore I saw your book and the name attracted me at once.

After reading it back home, I live in Colombia, South America, I felt totally identified with most of its contents. You have expressed what it’s on most gay men’s minds but unfortunately the current social pressure of the “gay movement” makes gay men think that if you’re gay “you have to” behave and think according to their dictum.

The interesting aspect here is that in most south american countries the “ideal” to be attained or copied by the local homosexual population is the american or european “gay movement” and this means that you see copies of the gay parades, the gay activists, the gay mentality, the gay culture in all these countries. The “gay clone” has acquired a different meaning.

Your manifesto is a very important ideological point of view and hopefully many men will take a critical stance towards the gay movement and somehow reclaim a different position in society for homosexual men. ”

- Juan

“I just wanted to drop you a note, to tell you I really liked your book, this is something that needed saying a long time ago. You are right, most people only see the fetish side of homosexuality, not the real people being themselves. I honestly believe if it was not for the Queendom most people could accept people a lot easier.”
- Billy

“I can’t thank you enough for putting out such a great book. Never before had I read a book on homosexuality that I could relate to. I’m not into any scene and have very few gay friends. I’d rather be at the gym, on my bike, or hanging with my buds. I never associated with the gay community or was interested in their agenda, pride parades, etc. Quite frankly, I find it exaggerated, and I feel embarrassment for them. I always wondered what in the hell was my issue. After reading your book, I found that there are others that feel exactly the same way I do…you can truly love men AND not subscribe to the ‘gay’ lifestyle. You rock, brother.”

- Nick

“After three decades of it, I might not be ready to start “rejecting the gay identity” but “reclaiming masculinity” is something I have been engaged in for a long time. So Jack Malebranche’s “Androphilia” is a welcome voice. When he noted, just for starters, the pervasive infections of “anti-male feminism, victimist mentality and left-wing politics” in the gay mainstream, he had my attention. And kept it. Although Androphilia is a manifesto, it is well-written, accessible and yet richly packed with content that you can return to and mull over after first reading. I have.

An image of my own that supports his take on the Orwellian strangeness of current gay identity/culture: A transgender man who asserts, “Just because I don’t have the `right’ equipment doesn’t mean I’m less a man”, will be praised and defended. An ordinary gay male who asserts, “Just because I’m a Republican doesn’t mean I’m less gay”, will be booed and booted out.

Malebranche has a strong point: contemporary gayness is a pre-packaged ideology and lifestyle often at odds with the natural masculine identity of its own population, and pressure to buy the whole thing is very intense. Deviance, ironically, is not well tolerated.

The primary slur against homosexual men is that we are not men at all, but something less, something like faux-females. Malebranche underestimates the deep contempt many men still have for one of their own who, how shall I put it, kneels or bends over. One defense against this is for us to identify with the slur and defiantly transform it into a mark of pride. This is how the cross, the ancient analogue of our noose or chair, became a religious symbol of victory. The same inversion with the pink triangle.

So, many gay men embrace the feminine that they are accused of aping. And in its defiance, it is a masculine act. But far too often, it is an unintegrated and adolescent, even pathological, femininity. And it remains perpetually stuck in defiance mode, becoming a pose or a cartoon, retarding their maturation as men. Rather than refuting the slur, they sadly prove its point. It is not necessary. It is painful to see. And it is not rare. And it is very rarely challenged from within the gay world.

Although I may differ with Malebranche on the depth of the feminizing stigma, or his reflections on desire as preference vs orientation, or his regrettable but minor decision to use Andrew Sullivan’s bogus “Christianist” lingo -and I am glad that he minimized his old notion of fetish–, I stand with him solidly and gratefully on his central androphile point, true for all men, but especially now for us men who love and desire other men. To paraphrase, “Manhood is not the problem, it is the solution”.”

- Stephen

“Every once in a while a book like this comes along, disputing old assumptions, and challenging some readers to reconsider their sense of self and place in the world. At times while reading Androphilia: A Manifesto, I imagined the author–like Morpheus in the first Matrix movie–offering his readers a choice between a pink pill and a blue pill.

Enter the gay world by taking the pink pill. Malebranche describes gay culture as providing a “just-add-vodka instant lifestyle” complete with social group, affected behaviors, anti-male feminism, victim mentality, leftist politics, diva worship, fruitcake symbolism, and fixation on superficial features like looks and fashion (p. 108). Readers who are involved in gay culture outside of bars, circuit parties and pride parades, will likely raise objections that Malebranche portrays the most stereotypical facets as representative of the whole. But the further one reads, the more Malebranche’s appraisals of gay culture ring true; and his dislike for its emasculating influence is palpable. Although Malebranche credits the gay rights movement with the relative tolerance that homosexuals in the West enjoy today, he encourages men who love men to discard gay identity and its effeminate affectations so that they can fully embody the masculinity that many gays regard as a burden.

Or take the blue pill. And become a . . . . Well, actually, becoming a man is nowhere near as easy as ingesting a pill. Thanks in large part to the influence of the feminist movement, ‘masculinity’ is often regarded by many gays as some kind of ’straight-jacket’: a set of stifling expectations about how men are supposed to dress and walk and talk. Malebranche, however, is concerned about more than mere appearances. His presentation of masculinity includes cultural ideals for men to strive after: values like self-reliance, accountability, courage, integrity, achievement, and honor. Becoming a man requires effort, dedication and discipline; it means proving oneself time and again by being “Mr. Make-It-Happen” (p. 71).

Those readers who peer through the lavender-and-rose-colored glasses of feminist-influenced queer theory will automatically dismiss the author with descriptions like ’self-loathing,’ ‘assimilationist,’ `misogynist,’ `homophobe,’ perhaps even ‘femiphobe.’ But ‘phobe’ means ‘fear’; and Malebranche isn’t afraid of femininity. Clearly he regards effeminacy in males not only as distasteful, but also potentially harmful. Without a code of values, Malebranche observes, many men tend to run wild, driven by pursuit of their desires. In light of this, Malebranche anticipates the charges of his queer critics by contending that “the real internalized homophobia is the belief that you can’t truly be a man simply because you love other men” (p. 63). Thus, he encourages androphiles to forge strong bonds with straight men instead of allowing differences in sexuality to alienate and segregate.

Androphilia: A Manifesto is a temple to manliness where the sacred cows of gay culture are slaughtered as offerings before the stern gods of masculine idealism. The author’s frank, aggressive tone will rebuff some readers and inspire others who will applaud his scathing attacks on gay herd mentality. Malebranche has issued a poignant, impassioned call for men who love men to be autonomous, live by masculine ideals, and work toward accomplishments that will generate genuine self-esteem, not the “synthetic opiate of ‘gay pride’” (p. 87). Towards the end of the book, the author presents some excellent “basic principles and catalysts for self exploration” for men interested in reclaiming masculinity (p. 110). Even men who have no interest in abandoning gay identity could benefit by trying out some of these suggestions.”

- Chris

“If, as a homosexual man, you have ever vocalized any preference for either masculinity or any stereotypically masculine pursuit, only to be swamped by cries of `internalised homophobia’ and claims that you’re `not being true to yourself’, then this is the book for you.

Mr. Malebranche lays forth his manifesto in a succinct, `straight-shooting’ style more akin to sports writing or detective fiction than a sociology text, starting with the simple concept that basing your whole identity around your sexuality and thereby confining yourself to a subculture the idolizes femininity rather than masculinity is extremely limiting and unsatisfying for men.

Whilst those who revel in victimhood will view it as an attack, the first section of the book simply states the idea that gay culture is redundant and thereby unnecessary for many homosexual men, who are expected to compromise their ideals and affect effeminate behaviour for social acceptance, (based on unproven pop psychology concepts such as gay men being innately and / or biologically different to straight men, or that flaunting your sexuality in an over-the-top, in-your-face manner is the only valid way you can be completely comfortable with your own homosexuality). Commonly-held beliefs are explored and the logic of each is questioned.

The book quickly moves onto an exploration of masculinity and how societies through history have shaped ideas of what men admire and preferred to see in other men. Traditionally-venerated masculine concepts of discipline, honour, self-restraint, self-reliance, nobility and bravery were passed on from men because they were found to be of worth. The author suggests that a deeper understanding of these traditions could be used by homosexual men to give their life structure, discipline and a sense of reward, that the gay community can’t offer, since it sells the idolization of youth, lack of boundaries and self-destructive behaviour as the norm, and dismisses masculinity as only exaggerated cartoons of excessive masculinity.

The rest of the book is a call for men to question what they’ve been taught by gay dogma, re-examine their lives and to step outside their comfort zones and actually explore those ideals and areas of masculinity they’ve been conditioned to think are closed off to them. Forcing yourself into unfamiliar territory opens you up to new experiences and how you meet those challenges is how you grow as a human being. Seeking Real Achievement in life is a key concept here, with the aim of creating a different ideal of homosexual man.

So you couldn’t throw a ball as a kid. Do you believe the myth that `gays are bad at sports’ and simply not try ever again? Re-evaluate free of cultural expectations and make a decision as an adult. Sure, you may not be into team sports, but maybe rock climbing turns out to be a fun pastime. Motor sports might still bore you, but fishing might be more your thing.

Learn to interact with straight men via the common ground of your masculinity, and to see them as the real men they are, other than simplified cartoons, or simple `forbidden fruit’ sex fantasies. Form stronger friendships, and deeper relationships

Since I received the review copy of the work months ago, I’ve put this section of the book into action and have been out there and trying new experiences. Like any unfamiliar task, there’s a short period of awkwardness that eventually turns into competence. If I fumble a ball the first few throws, do I decide it’s too hard and give up, or do I keep doing it, get better, and eventually realize it’s no big deal?

Most importantly, I’ve been having a lot of fun, being amazed at what I’m actually capable of, confirming masculinity isn’t some frightening `other’, and experiencing the deeper rewards of male camaraderie and respect from men who know of my male preference, but take me seriously as a man due to the fact that I don’t rub it in their faces constantly and aren’t afraid to get my hands dirty and pitch in. That’s far more rewarding for my own self-image than 1000 Gay Pride Parades.

Do you really think so little of yourself you’d rather live in fear of changing your own oil?

This book opens up a whole new field of potential Androphilia Studies, and gives me hope that one day that being sexually attracted to the characteristics of masculinity that make men `men’, and therefore attracted to the men who embody them, will be seen as the completely logical train of thought that it is, rather than some betrayal of someone else’s idea of what a homosexual man should be attracted to.

Congratulations, Mr. Malebranche. I’d like to shake your hand.”

- Simon

“Your book was refreshing in its critique of gay society. One of my issues with gays is that there is a complete lack of self analysis. Doing so would mean that there MIGHT be something wrong with our behavior and priorities. So instead we “live and let live”, and nothing ever changes or advances except for the next circuit party. If we put half as much energy, financing, and resolve into our political movements as we did these parties, we could run this country.

I’m a bodybuilder as well as a brazilian jiu-jitsu/submission wrestler. My friends are a mix of gay and straight, but I live in the straight world most of the time. I’m also a born and bred New Yorker, so I’m fairly direct. I find most gays can not deal with that. My attempts at participating in gay sports clubs or organizations only led to frustration. So I grapple with straight guys, and my lifting partners are almost always straight.

Thanks for putting these feelings in writing. It is good to know that others feel as disenfranchised as I do.”

- Carlos

“I finished “Androphilia” a few days back and have wanted to write you to say thanks for a fresh outlook and a dose of reality that needed to be said. I’m grateful to my friend that mentioned your book after an “Andro” kind of discussion.

Personally, I have looked for others like myself for a long time and have often been disillusioned being a homo as defined by “Gay” culture. I’ve usually been embarrassed and felt out of place when the rainbow flag waves, but I’ve gained new insight into my beliefs after reading your book. It’s strange, I’ve even felt a lot more comfortable with my straight male peers after coming to terms with my masculinity. Coincidentally, my brother, who’s Gay, just yelled at me for not being gay enough, and felt really great about telling him to fuck off.

I don’t know that I agree with you in all you’ve said. I believe there’s a lot of subtlety and shades of gray when it comes to the animal-human. But what the fuck, what you wrote needed to be said, and I think it’s fantastic that you’ve said it. I wish you great success, in part selfishly, because the word needs to get out. There are a lot of hungry men out there.”

- Rick

“Thank you Jack…
Your manifesto so well articulates my 30 years of rantings about the community that I am a virtual prisoner of.
In fact the ‘community’ has made me a political reactionary because it offers no solutions to the psychological & social cripples around me who believe they are entitled because they are victims.
But things are changing…., books like this, Spike TV, and the growing political realization that the academic -lack- of or -deprecation- of a proper father/maculine image is the cause of so many of our socal problems with adolescent males.
More and more even the gay dating boards are heralding this ‘new’ attitude with blatant rejections of the politcially packaged lifestyle handed them by academia and the media, as if it were some ‘cult requirement’.

“Will and Grace” may be good comedy, but it is an affront to me as much as any homophobic epithet.

I suggest any critic of Jack’s manifesto pick any Internet gay dating board, and do an honest statistical analysis of terms used in searches…. ‘masculine’ tops the list, followed by sports, gear, buddy, LTR, etc… You will -never- find the word ‘effeminate’, ‘Madonna’, or ‘Drag’. As Jack so well alludes to…. the really popular gay porn is a celebration of the very masculinity rejected by academia and the media… talk about schizophrenia! I found myself nodding in agreement and identifying phrases in the book that I have used repeatedly in my life to the catch-all reaction of ‘internalized homophobia’. Thank you for so well analyzing and formalizing a philosophy that has always been there since man first walked this earth naked…. simple masculinity. I like this new term ‘AndroPhilia’, and intend to promote it.”

- Eugene