‘It’s a hard line to walk’: black non-binary trans* collegians’ perspectives on passing, realness, and trans*-normativity

Abstract

Being labeled as ‘abnormal, or deviant, or not being one of the rest of us’ has real effects for one’s life chances. Trans* people are one such group who have continually been codified as abnormal, abject, weird, deceptive, and social pariahs. The purpose of the following study was to explore how the concepts of passing, realness, and trans*-normativity influence the experiences of two black non-binary trans* collegians. Using queer and intersectional theoretical approaches to analysis, findings from this study highlight the various ways black non-binary trans* collegians view these concepts as both limiting and emancipatory.