“I am allowed to be myself”: A photovoice exploration of non-binary identity development and meaning-making

Abstract

Social work researchers have increasingly focused on the needs of transgender communities and clients, which has resulted in the advancement of transgender-affirming practice and services; however, there has been relatively little research devoted to the experiences and needs of non-binary people. This article describes a participatory action research study that utilized photovoice methodology to understand the identity-based experiences of a group of non-binary young adult participants. Members of the group explored their individual and collective processes of coming to understand, construct and express genders that fall outside of the binary expectations they experienced on a daily basis. Findings highlight the pervasive nature of binary gender constructs and note the ways in which participant co-researchers navigate invisibility and erasure in order to reclaim their gender and build community. Implications for social work practice, policy and research are discussed.

Keywords:

• Discrimination
• transgender
• qualitative methods
• youth

Acknowledgments

The author wishes to express gratitude to those who joined this study as participant-researchers. Appreciation is also expressed to Parker Reid, this study’s research assistant, and Dr. Loretta Pyles who served as the author’s dissertation chair and has continued to offer tremendous scholarly-mentorship.

Correction Statement

This article has been republished with minor changes. These changes do not impact the academic content of the article.

Additional information

Funding

This research was supported by a dissertation grant awarded to the author by the University at Albany, School of Social Welfare.