# "Walter" or "Wendy" Carlos? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 21, 2004, 8:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/walter-or-wendy-carlos/275932 "2004-11-21T08:27:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![bladeolson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/f6c823/32.png) [@bladeolson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bladeolson)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2004, 8:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/walter-or-wendy-carlos/275932/1 "2004-11-21T08:27:58Z")
Might not bemy business, but I am sure interested regardless. So is “Wendy” Carlos , the composer of Swtiched on Bach, A Clockwork Orange Sountrack, etc… Really a woman? ( meaning born a woman?) Back in Clockwork orange days, this person was referred to as “WALTER” Carlos and was a guy. I know, I have the album. Now if you go to Carlos’s web page he is a she? About 5 years ago, I checked the page and it said something like “PLEASE PLEASE for the love of GOD, stop asking me about my sexual orientation on my webpage!” But, now the FAQ section says something like “Back in the 60s it was looked down for a woman to compose classical music, so I used the name Walter.” So what is the deal? Either way, I have some pitty. If He is a she and had to lie to get her work published and everyone now thinks she is a sex change operation person, that sucks. And, if She “was” a He and has to live a life in the closet but is somewhat famous too sucks too. I think you can all see why I am so interested to know the truth now. :smack: ---
**Author:** ![bladeolson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/f6c823/32.png) [@bladeolson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bladeolson)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2004, 8:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/walter-or-wendy-carlos/275932/2 "2004-11-21T08:30:23Z")
[HERE IS A PHOTO for reference](http://www.wendycarlos.com/) here is Wendy’s homepage. The photo leads me to believe… “I have no idea!” anyway, regardless of the answer, this person is a wonderful musical genius and great artist. A pioneer of electronic music. ---
**Author:** ![cckerberos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f0a364/32.png) [@cckerberos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cckerberos)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2004, 9:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/walter-or-wendy-carlos/275932/3 "2004-11-21T09:32:49Z")
[This](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=168993&highlight=wendy+carlos) previous thread on the subject would probably be of interest. ---
**Author:** ![davenportavenger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/5f8ce5/32.png) [@davenportavenger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davenportavenger)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2004, 9:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/walter-or-wendy-carlos/275932/4 "2004-11-21T09:32:50Z")
Wendy Carlos is a woman (a real woman, she’s not a robot or something) who has had sexual reassignment surgery. She doesn’t publicize this fact much, for reasons that should be pretty clear. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2004, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/walter-or-wendy-carlos/275932/5 "2004-11-21T16:01:11Z")
Just run Walter and Wendy through the AMG. ---
**Author:** ![Freejooky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ba8739/32.png) [@Freejooky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freejooky)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2004, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/walter-or-wendy-carlos/275932/6 "2004-11-21T18:43:31Z")
Since people like **Continuity\_Error** seem to be trying their hardest to confuse the issue further rather than answer your question - Walter Carlos was a man. He arranged music for the modular Moog synthesizer, most famously _Switched-on Bach_, _The well-tempered Synthesizer_, and the soundtrack to _A Clockwork Orange_. He had his genitals hacked off, underwent hormone therapy and became “Wendy,” a woman. Since then, he’s tried his hardest to confuse and obscure the fact that he used to be a man, going as far as to use vague language saying he was “always Wendy” and other silly stories. What’s worse, he sued obscure songwriter Momus over Momus’ loving parody “Walter Carlos.” ---
**Author:** ![Eve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Eve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eve)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2004, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/walter-or-wendy-carlos/275932/7 "2004-11-21T19:27:48Z")
**Freejooky** , while I agree that Wendy Carlos is being naive and somewhat ingenuous, your choice of language is offensive. Please choose your words more carefully, there are ladies and gentlemen present. ---
**Author:** ![Eve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Eve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eve)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2004, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/walter-or-wendy-carlos/275932/8 "2004-11-21T19:30:21Z")
Oh, I meant to add “inaccurate” as well as “offensive.” Sex-reassignment surgery is not “having one’s genitals hacked off.” ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2004, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/walter-or-wendy-carlos/275932/9 "2004-11-21T20:22:06Z")
**Freejooky:** \*Since people like Continuity\_Error seem to be trying their hardest to confuse the issue further \* Huh? **continuity error** ’s description of Wendy Carlos as “a woman who has had sexual reassignment surgery” is AFAIK the standard way of describing such a situation, and isn’t confusing at all. I also don’t see anything “silly” or confusing in Wendy Carlos’s claiming that she was “always” female. AFAICT, that’s why people **get** sexual reassignment surgery, after all: because they’ve always identified so strongly with the other gender that the bodies they were born with seem absolutely wrong for them. Sexual reassignment isn’t “changing into” the other gender as far as they’re concerned; it’s just revealing more accurately the gender they really are, and have always been. However, it’s true that expecting the general public to forget or ignore the fact that they once had a public persona identified with a different gender is, as **Eve** said, naive and ingenuous. People are beginning to get more savvy about transgender issues, but many of them, like **Freejooky** , still find the whole thing very confusing. ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2004, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/walter-or-wendy-carlos/275932/10 "2004-11-21T22:04:11Z")
I think that the OP’s question has been answered, and allowing the bickering to continue here is pointless. Plus, the previous thread linked to by **cckerberos** (many thanks) helps. Closed. **samclem** GQ moderator.