Trans-Kin Undoing and Redoing Gender: Negotiating Relational Identity among Friends and Family of Transgender Persons

Abstract

The experiences of transgender persons have gained increased attention in academic discourse; however, few studies address how significant others, family members, friends, and allies (SOFFAs) process the transition of a loved one. This study seeks to fill this gap with research based on 133 observational hours and fifty interviews. Focusing on three relational identity themes—sexual orientation, social role, and religious identity—the findings suggest that SOFFAs use various intentional and unintentional strategies to negotiate relational identities. Furthermore, reflected appraisals and social stigma mediate the ability of SOFFAS to “undo” and “redo” gender when negotiating their relational identities.

Resilience in Families in Transition: What Happens When a Parent Is Transgender?

“…Sociological research concerning transgender people is relatively limited, and the family environment in which gender transition takes place has often been overlooked (Hines, 2006;Whitley, 2013). In particular, the perspective of children with a transgender parent has been neglected (Dierckx, Motmans, Mortelmans, & T'Sjoen, 2015).…”

Stories of Sameness and Difference: The Views and Experiences of Children and Adolescents with a trans* Parent

“…Theories of symbolic interaction are well known for underlying the intellectual tradition of theorizing gender as something that it is 'done', rather than something that one 'has' (West & Zimmerman, 1987). The framework is perhaps less renowned, though no less significant, for its role in research on the responses to gender transition amongst partners, family members, and friends (Whitley, 2013). Whitley's (2013) research focused on the role of reflected appraisals (relatives' perceptions of social perceptions) and stigma (relatives' experiences of negative social perceptions) amongst those with close family members and friends who are trans à .…”

“…The framework is perhaps less renowned, though no less significant, for its role in research on the responses to gender transition amongst partners, family members, and friends (Whitley, 2013). Whitley's (2013) research focused on the role of reflected appraisals (relatives' perceptions of social perceptions) and stigma (relatives' experiences of negative social perceptions) amongst those with close family members and friends who are trans à . Their study found that relatives in socially supportive environments were more able to reconfigure their ideas about gender, and so too their relationships with their trans à family member, than were those who received little social support.…”

‘Until that magical day…no campus is safe’: reflections on how transgender students experience gender and stigma on campus

“…I use the term 'gatekeepers' not to imply that trans and queer people are suspicious or untrusting of their potential allies, but to establish that my friends aided me in navigating my own insecurities with a social justice issue that was one, very new to me, and two, constantly forced me to confront my own assumptions and expressions of gender. With the help of people who have gone through life-changing transitions, struggles, and successes, I overcame some of my hesitancies about rendering transgender lives authentic, and for that I am very grateful to all those who contributed to this research (see also, Whitley, 2013).…”