Counseling Support for the Forgotten Transgender Community

The needs of people with nonconforming gender behavior are not homogeneous, for people who self-identify as transgender are not and should not be considered the same as individuals who self-identify as transsexual. Limited counseling resources are available for clinicians working with individuals who self-identify as transgender but have no desire to proceed to sexual reassignment surgery (SRS). Though it appears many of the recommendations for transsexuals are relevant for the broader range of transgender individuals, significant differences exist between them, warranting further investigation. This article presents a summary of approaches for gender-variant clients not matching the transsexual paradigm.     

Intersectional Identities and Conceptions of the Self: The Experience of Transgender People

Transgender people in the United States change genders in relation to androcentric, heterocentric, and middle‐class whitenormative cultural narratives. Drawing on ethnographic data primarily with transgender people of color, I analyze the ways in which gender, race, social class, and sexuality all combine to create specific background identities – intersected identity frames – which others attribute in interaction. We can better understand these intersected identity frames through the experiences of transgender people, who actively engage in identity management. The meanings others attach to specific combinations are foregrounded in the context of transitioning; some audiences employ dominant, white cultural narratives, while others draw upon ethnic cultural narratives. In all cases, transitioning throws the multi‐dimensionality of intersected identity frames into sharp relief against the background of intersecting social and cultural structural arrangements.     

The Lived Experiences of Transgender Persons: A Meta-Synthesis

This article synthesises findings from qualitative studies which have explored the lived experiences of transgender persons, using Noblit and Hare's (1998) meta-ethnography method. Thirty-one qualitative studies related to the lived experiences of transgender individuals, published between 1998 and 2013, met the inclusion criteria. A literature search was conducted between November 2012 and September 2013 using computerized searches from nine databases as well as online manual searches of key journals. Results from these individual studies revealed five major themes: (a) crossing gender and physical problems in life, (b) experiencing psychological distress, (c) encountering discrimination and social exclusion, (d) having relationships does matter, and (e) dealing with difficulties in life. Yet, despite these negative experiences, transgender people have tried to find ways to help them deal with their difficulties. We conclude that there is a need for health care providers, social workers, and health promoters to support transgender individuals, for their health and well-being. This meta-synthesis provides a clear account of what transgender individuals experience in their lives, to support the development of sympathetic health and social care services to assist them with their difficulties, and enhance their health and well-being.     

Being Brave: Negotiating the Path of Social Transition With a Transgender Child in Foster Care

ABSTRACT

A literature review of treatment guidelines regarding children and adolescents with gender dysphoria culminates in consideration of two models: the gender affirmative model and the multidimensional family model. A single case study of a child in foster care in the United Kingdom, from the age of seven to eleven, illustrates the process of social transitioning from the assigned gender to the true gender self. The role of the context of the child in facilitating the process of social transition in the form of school, family, local authority, and the National Health Service is highlighted. Professionals working with gender nonconforming and gender-dysphoric children are encouraged to consider social transitioning as a viable option.     

Beginning Practice with Preoperative Male-to-Female Transgender Clients

Abstract

Preoperative male-to-female transgender clients often present with specific and unique psychological and social issues distinct from gay male and lesbian clients. Therapists must be ready to assess and help diagnose these in preparation for work with gender queer clients. Therapists must also be prepared to face and resolve the various counter-transference dynamics inherent in therapeutic relationships with transgendered individuals. This Practice Note focuses on the author's beginning clinical and social case management experience working with two preoperative male-to-female transgender individuals.     

Displaying Gender: Transgender People's Strategies in Everyday Life

Drawing upon data from in‐depth interviews with transgender people in Portugal and in the United Kingdom, this article critically reflects upon different ways through which transgender people recreate their gender displays, particularly in terms of gender embodiment and aesthetics, in order to navigate their everyday lives. I focus on four strategies of articulating gender displays with one's own gender subjectivities: “blending in,” “masking,” “naturalizing,” and “subverting.” These strategies are not exclusive of one another. They are used differently throughout the participants' own lives in accordance to the social contexts they were in.     

The Sexual Health of Transgender Men: A Scoping Review

There is a general paucity of research concerning the sexual health of transgender individuals, and most existing research focuses on transgender women. A scoping review concerning the sexual health of transgender men was conducted to identify gaps in the literature and to highlight opportunities for future research and intervention. A comprehensive search of seven databases was conducted. The Joanna Briggs Institute Reviewers’ Manual was used as a framework. Some 7,485 articles were initially identified using a search strategy applied to seven online databases: 54 articles were identified as relevant to the research questions and reviewed in detail; of those, 33 were included in the final analysis. Studies were conceptualized into four broad themes: sexual behaviors, sexual identity, sexual pleasure and sexual function, and transactional sex. Besides an overall lack of research, existing studies were often characterized by small convenience samples that do not allow for generalization to the larger population of transgender men. Significant gaps in the literature regarding sexual coercion, sexual and intimate partner violence, and relationship quality and functioning among transgender men exist. There is a need to improve the scope and depth of research examining the sexual health of this population, especially concerning sexual risk behaviors and structural barriers to sexual health care access.     

Elder Transgender Lesbians: Exploring the Intersection of Age,Lesbian Sexual Identity,and Transgender Identity

This study is the first to examine the experiences and needs of an international sample of current, English-speaking, lesbian, transgender-identified (trans-lesbian) adults around a number of later life and end-of-life perceptions, preparations, and concerns. I analyzed a subset (n = 276) of the cross-sectional data collected from the online Trans MetLife Survey on Later-Life Preparedness and Perceptions in Transgender-Identified Individuals (N = 1,963). I assessed perceptions and fears around aging, preparation for later life, and end-of-life as well as numerous demographic and psycho-social variables. Despite the overall feeling that they have aged successfully, the respondent trans-lesbian population harbors significant fears about later life. I found that this population, while better-prepared than the overall respondent trans-identified population, is still ill-prepared for the major legalities and events that occur in the later to end-of-life time periods.     

Rebuilding Relationships in a Transgender Family: The Stories of Parents of Japanese Transgender Children

This study considers the process by which parents accept their transgender children through an analysis of the stories of parents in Japan. The study also considers how the gender identity of parents is affected by their child and the discourses related to queer identities. The mothers were strongly motivated to understand their child and reconstructed the image and life stories of the child. Through these processes, the mothers came to reconsider their own gender identities in queer ways. In contrast, the fathers had a lack of motivation to understand their child, and their masculinity was not significantly influenced by deessentialism.     

Gender and Sexual Motivation

The literature on sexual motivation consistently depicts males as primarily motivated by physical and women by emotional factors. Supporting research has been almost exclusively limited to predominantly unmarried teenagers and college aged students, implicitly assuming the absence of age differences in sexual motivation. There has also been a tendency to infer personal values from stated motivations. The present study questions these two assumptions by analyzing two questions included in a survey of 179 adults aged 22 to 57 years, one on respondents' usual motive for engaging in sexual intercourse and anoth6r on their assessment of its most important benefit. An Analysis of Variance reveals significant gender differences in usual motivation but nor in ideal benefits and significant interactions between gender and age in both usual and ideal motivations. Further, we found only a moderate relationship between usual motive for engaging in sexual intercourse and respondent's assessment of its most important benefit. These findings lead us to conclude that caution must be used in making generalizations regarding motives for engaging in sexual intercourse either across age or from sexual realities to sexual ideals.     

Creating the Queendom: A Lens on Transy House

ABSTRACT

The physical environment is often used as a tool to construct, validate, and express identity. This article presents findings from a study that explored the person—place dynamics of a unique landscape: Transy House. Transy house is a trans-dominated communal house for trans women where residents usurped and controlled a defined socio-spatial territory. Tight links were found between individual resident's identity and bedroom decor and between the collective identity of the house and the common areas. Additionally, the concept of a transcape is introduced as a place for people who transgress gender norms to restore and empower their identities through spatial tactics.     

Racial and Ethnic Differences in Experiences of Discrimination in Accessing Social Services Among Transgender/Gender-Nonconforming People

Members of the transgender/gender-nonconforming (GNC) community experience higher rates of discrimination based on their gender compared to their cisgender counterparts. Similarly, people of color experience higher rates of discrimination than White people. This study examines the difference in experiences of discrimination among transgender/GNC individuals in accessing social services providers by race/ethnicity (White and people of color). The data collected in a national cross-sectional survey (N = 6,451) and analyzed via chi-square test of independence and binary logistic regression demonstrate the disproportionate prevalence of discrimination based on race/ethnicity within the transgender/GNC population when accessing social services such as drug treatment centers, mental health clinics, domestic violence shelters, and rape crisis centers. Social workers are the most common provider of social services to the community, and have an ethical commitment to provision of services without discrimination. High rates of discrimination in accessing social services among transgender/GNC people, with even higher rates of discrimination for transgender/GNC people of color, highlight the need for improvement in social work education and practice.     

The Social Costs of Gender Nonconformity for Transgender Adults: Implications for Discrimination and Health

Research suggests that transgender people face high levels of discrimination in society, which may contribute to their disproportionate risk for poor health. However, little is known about whether gender nonconformity, as a visible marker of one's stigmatized status as a transgender individual, heightens trans people's experiences with discrimination and, in turn, their health. Using data from the largest survey of transgender adults in the United States, the National Transgender Discrimination Survey (N = 4,115), we examine the associations among gender nonconformity, transphobic discrimination, and health‐harming behaviors (i.e., attempted suicide, drug/alcohol abuse, and smoking). The results suggest that gender nonconforming trans people face more discrimination and, in turn, are more likely to engage in health‐harming behaviors than trans people who are gender conforming. Our findings highlight the important role of gender nonconformity in the social experiences and well‐being of transgender people.     

Experience of Career‐Related Discrimination for Female‐to‐Male Transgender Persons: A Qualitative Study

In this qualitative study, the authors examined the experience of discrimination and its relationship to the career development trajectory of 9 female‐to‐male transgender persons. Participants were between 21 and 48 years old and had a variety of vocational experiences. Individual semistructured interviews were conducted via telephone and analyzed using grounded theory methodology. The emergent model consisted of forms of discrimination and impact of discrimination. These components intersected with the career development trajectory. Participants provided their own suggestions for improving the workplace environment. Counseling, advocacy, and future research implications are discussed.     

Career Decision Self‐Efficacy of Transgender People: Pre‐ and Posttransition

Transgender people often make the decision to change jobs before, during, or after making a social or medical transition. This study explores reported self‐efficacy from an online sample of transgender people. Results indicate that there are differences in self‐efficacy based on one's gender identity, transition status, and education level. This study offers insight into the important and often overlooked vocational experiences of transgender people. Results suggest ways in which the transition process may interact with career decision self‐efficacy.     

The Needs of Gender-Variant Children and Their Parents: A Parent Survey

ABSTRACT

Parents of children with gender-variant behavior, while doing their best to handle their child's preferences and needs, are forced to contend with societal bias and assumptions that allow their children to be marginalized. This exploratory investigation aims to provide a basis for supporting all children with gender variance and their parents by identifying their needs. An Internet survey was designed to elicit the experiences of parents with gender-variant children to identify the needs of both parents and children. Data were analyzed using content analysis to establish the major themes. The dominant identified needs for parents were related to finding correct information and obtaining professional support, parenting strategies, and peer support. The children's primary needs were related to discussing their feelings, being accepted, and being supported to express their gender preference.     

HIV prevention barriers in transgender women: a qualitative study

Abstract

Sexual contact is still one of the most important routes of HIV transmission. The aim of this study was identify the factors that underlie the higher prevalence of high-risk sexual behaviors in a sample of transgender women in Iran. The qualitative study used face-to-face, semi-structured, in-depth interviews in a sample of 15 transgender women. Our participants used sexual practices as a way to be approved/accepted as a woman. Using sex for this purpose led them to engage in high-risk sexual relationships. It is essential to consider these issues in consulting and education about high-risk behaviors.     

Partner Violence in Transgender Communities: What Helping Professionals Need to Know

ABSTRACT

In recent decades, there has been an increase in scholarly attention devoted to the study of intimate partner violence (IPV) within rainbow communities. While a growing body of scholarship now informs our understanding of the experiences of gay, lesbian, and bisexual men and women with IPV, comparatively less is known about IPV within transgender communities. Drawing on the published literature on transgender intimate relationships, this article seeks to provide practitioners with a foundational understanding of IPV in the lives of transgender people. Specifically, we will examine (a) methodological, political, and social barriers to the creation of knowledge about transgender IPV; (b) the familial and relationship contexts of IPV within transgender communities; (c) the prevalence of IPV experienced by transgender survivors; (d) the dynamics of IPV perpetrated against and/or by transgender persons; (e) the problematic use of the “trans panic” defense by perpetrators of IPV in legal contexts; and (f) recommendations for supporting transgender survivors of IPV in ways that are trans-inclusive and trans-positive.     

A Systematic Review of Interventions for Elder Abuse

The purpose of this study was to use rigorous systematic review methods to summarize the effectiveness of interventions for elder abuse. Only eight studies met our inclusion criteria. Evidence regarding the recurrence of abuse following intervention was limited, but the interventions for which this outcome was reported failed to reduce, and may have even increased, the likelihood of recurrence. Elder abuse interventions had no significant effect on case resolution and at-risk caregiver outcomes, and had mixed results regarding professional knowledge and behavior related to elder abuse. The included studies had important methodological limitations that limit our ability to draw conclusions about the effectiveness of these interventions.