Transgender Young Adults' Negotiation of Gender Consciousness in Relation to Others' Behaviors and Attitudes
Abstract
This qualitative study explored the lived experiences of transgender individuals’ perception of their childhood and adolescent experiences with their parents and school communities’ behaviors and attitudes towards their gender-related behaviors. It also explored how these behaviors and attitudes of their parents and school communities played a role in their gender identity development. Fourteen transgender individuals between the ages of 18-34 were interviewed using a semi-structured interview protocol. Moustakas’ (1994) phenomenological research methodology was used to analyze the data. Five major themes emerged from the data analysis: a) parental and school communities encourage gender expressions and identities to develop through positive responses, b) parental and school communities discourage gender expression and identities to develop through negative responses and lack of understanding, c) negative responses of parents and school communities contribute to concealment of gender identity, d) negative responses of parents and school communities contribute to delayed realization of gender identity, and e) other means are sought to support gender identity development. In the implications and directions for future research chapters, suggestions were provided for parents and school communities on how to support gender nonconforming and transgender children and adolescents more effectively.
Subject Area
Social psychology|Gender studies
Recommended Citation
Opromalla, Jennifer Anne, "Transgender Young Adults' Negotiation of Gender Consciousness in Relation to Others' Behaviors and Attitudes" (2019). ETD Collection for Fordham University. AAI13885508.
https://research.library.fordham.edu/dissertations/AAI13885508
