Being Transgender: The Experience of Transgender Identity Development

TLDR

The availability of transgender narratives has provided hope, enabling individuals to navigate a childhood marked by criticism and scrutiny. The authors conducted a grounded‑theory analysis of interviews with transgender‑identified participants from diverse U.S. regions to explore their journeys toward gender identity. Three clusters of processes emerged, revealing that participants balance authenticity with necessity by weighing internal gender experience against resources, coping skills, and transition consequences, offering insights for gender theory, research, and clinical support.

Abstract

AbstractThis article is based on a grounded theory analysis of interviews with transgender-identified people from different regions of the United States. Participants held a variety of gender identities under the transgender rubric (e.g., crossdresser, transman, transwoman, butch lesbian). Interviews explored the participants' experiences in arriving at their gender identity. This article presents three clusters of findings related to the common processes of transgender identity development. This process was made possible by accessibility of transgender narratives that injected hope into what was a childhood replete with criticism and scrutiny. Ultimately, participants came to their identities through balancing a desire for authenticity with demands of necessity—meaning that they weighed their internal gender experience with considerations about their available resources, coping skills, and the consequences of gender transitions. The implications of these findings are considered in terms of their contribution to gender theory, research, and clinical support for transgender clients. KEYWORDS: transgendergenderqualitativegender identity developmentidentitygrounded theory The authors would like to thank Drs. Robert Neimeyer and Linda Sagrestano for their helpful suggestions in shaping this research.