City Research Online

Abstract

As social constructionist gender theory gained currency in the mid-to-late twentieth century, transgender identities were often presented as ‘proof’ of gender’s intersubjective construction, with little attention given to how trans people were experiencing their own gender identity negotiation. Despite a rise in literature exploring trans lives, there remains limited exploration of trans people’s experiences of identity in their day-to-day interactions with others, and much of the literature exploring trans language and voice focuses on transfeminine rather than transmasculine individuals.

Accordingly, this study sought to understand transmasculine people’s lived experiences of negotiating their gender identities in everyday interactions, looking particularly at participants’ interpretations and experiences of masculinity and ‘passing’. Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis was used to analyse semi-structured interview data from ten transmasculine UK adults.

The study has three main findings. Firstly, this study found that participants held non-traditional interpretations of masculinity, feeling congruence with identity positions that did not follow hegemonic norms of masculinity. In addition, they were intentional in how they constructed masculinity in interactions and sought to do so in ways that were considerate and minimally harmful to others.

Secondly, this study found that participants felt significant vulnerability in social interactions, feeling at risk of being misgendered and/or subject to transphobic violence. As a result, participants existed in a state of hyperawareness in interactions, abating as their transitions progressed through access to gender affirming care.

Thirdly, this research showed that participants were critically aware of their own gender work in interactions, with certain signifiers considered especially salient when doing passing, including vocal pitch, prosody, lexical choices and speech content. The data further demonstrated participants’ ambivalent relationships with passing, perceived to be simultaneously necessary and potentially harmful.

Drawing on these findings, this study argues that transmasculine people need to be understood as reflective subjects in interactions, using traditional gender norms strategically to achieve intersubjective recognition and safety. It further argues that transmasculine people’s freedom to achieve their interactional aims is constrained by their discursive and interpersonal contexts.

The significance of the research lies in its novel approach to exploring transmasculine identity in interactions. Through a phenomenological approach, it identifies aspects of interactions that feel most significant for participants themselves (e.g. intersubjective recognition and safety) and demonstrates the critical eye that transmasculine subjects apply to their own identity work in interactions. Finally, it highlights the importance of integrating transmasculine people’s felt experiences of gender into constructionist theories of transmasculine identity.

Publication Type:	Thesis (Doctoral)
Subjects:	H Social Sciences > HT Communities. Classes. Races P Language and Literature > P Philology. Linguistics P Language and Literature > PJ Semitic
Departments:	School of Health & Medical Sciences > Department of Allied Health School of Health & Medical Sciences > School of Health & Medical Sciences Doctoral Theses Doctoral Theses

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