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Abstract
One of the first ways some trans youth narrate their gender is through the process of choosing a name. Trans youth’s negotiation of naming is particularly complex as they juggle family affinities and independence, as well as try on new identities and build relationships with peers. In the midst of transitioning, and often while still materially and emotionally dependent on their families, trans youth re-write their birth stories through, in part, the process of choosing a new name. Drawing on in-depth interviews with 10 racially and gender diverse trans youth in Canada, I explore how trans youth choose a name in relation to their family. I analyze these stories using Cavarero’s theory of the formation of the self to think about what the work of names and naming exposes about how trans youth navigate their relationships with their family and their identity development. In their naming practices, trans youth discussed the relationship they have with their family and their negotiation of family reactions to the disclosure of their trans identity. Their narratives about naming and family challenge the binary discourse about family reactions as acceptance or rejection and provide stories about the complex ways trans youth navigate their relationship with their family in their daily lives.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.
Notes
1 I did not ask participants about their socio-economic status, but through their stories I learned that none of the participants were currently homeless, but a few of them experienced housing insecurity in the last five years. Some of the participants did not live with their family because their family rejected their trans identity.
2 Like all participants, Siobhan had the option of choosing a pseudonym for me to use to refer to her in my data analysis and writing. Although Siobhan identifies as Italian and chose an Italian name when she transitioned, for the project she chose an Irish name as her pseudonym. I decided to respect her chosen pseudonym despite the ways this can be confusing for the reader.
Additional information
Notes on contributors
Julia Sinclair-Palm
Dr. Julia Sinclair-Palm is an Assistant Professor in Childhood and Youth Studies in the Institute of Interdisciplinary Studies at Carleton University.