Transgender Possibilities and the Cisgendering of Family among Cisgender Women. Issue 2 (13th September 2021)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Sumerau, J. E.; Holway, Giuseppina Valle
• Is Part Of: Symbolic interaction. Volume 45:Issue 2(2022)
• Page Start: 167
• Page End: 188
• Publication Date: 2021-09-13
• Subjects: transgender -- gender -- family -- cisnormativity; Symbolic interactionism -- Periodicals; Interactionnisme symbolique -- Périodiques; 302
• DOI: 10.1002/symb.573
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0195-6086

Abstract

Abstract : In this article, we examine vocabularies of motive concerning the possibility of transgender partners and children. Data from 20 in‐depth interviews with (mostly white) cisgender college‐aged women in the southeastern United States were analyzed to determine how they construct familial ideals predicated upon cisgender norms and assumptions. Participants respond to the possibility of transgender family members by mobilizing vocabularies of (1) claiming exemptions and (2) emphasizing difficulty. We draw out implications for understanding vocabularies of cisgendering family that create the conditions for transgender marginalization within families, and the consequences cisgendering family has for the reproduction of inequality.