Family matters: transgender and gender diverse peoples’ experience with family when they transition

ABSTRACT

This paper reports the findings of a qualitative Australian study where 13 transgender or gender diverse adults were interviewed about family relationships. The findings indicate the degree to which participants were concerned with protecting family members from the perceived disruption to family life that transitioning can bring about. Protecting family relationships, however, often occurred at the expense of the transgender or gender diverse person as they slowed or halted their transition out of concern for family members’ well-being or the need to preserve relationships. Participants reported low levels of support from health services for family members at the time of transitioning, particularly around supporting families to have conversations about the impact of transitioning on the family unit. We argue that the health and well-being of transgender and gender diverse people rely on positive relational support from, and for, families experiencing the gender transition of a family member.

KEYWORDS:

• Transgender
• gender diverse
• family of origin
• health services
• Australia

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

ORCID

Jennifer Power http://orcid.org/0000-0002-6566-3214

Notes

1 Frances regarded her gender as fluid, and moved in the world sometimes as a man, sometimes as a woman. For Frances, transitioning was about exploring and embracing a fuller spectrum of gender possibilities.

2 Group Captain Katherine ‘Cate’ McGregor is the world’s highest ranking transgender military officer. Her story was featured in an Australian television programme called Australian Story in 2014 and she was nominated for Australian of the Year in 2016.