“This is the Biggest Thing You'll Ever Do in Your Life”: Exploring the Occupations of Transgendered People

Abstract

Despite growing attention to occupational justice issues, there has been very little research examining the everyday occupations of those marginalised by sexual orientation or gender identity. Building on a small body of literature concerning the occupations of gay men and lesbians, this paper explores the occupations of five transgendered persons. Qualitative interview data are used to examine both how participants' gender identities shaped their occupational engagements, and how their occupations were used to convey or express gender identities. The occupational focus tended to change over time. While in their early years participants faced occupational barriers and deprivation, during transition they were centrally involved with occupations concerning the health care system and financing bodily transitions. Later the most significant occupations centred on managing disclosure, self-care, managing relationships, and navigating employment. All participants faced occupational losses and adaptations, but also gained new, meaningful occupations.

Keywords:

• Transgender
• Gender identity
• Occupation
• Occupational justice
• Occupational engagement
• Occupational barriers

Acknowledgements

We would like to thank the Canadian Institutes for Health Research for project funding, the members of the larger research team (Lisa Goldberg, Dalhousie University; Susan Atkinson, Dalhousie Family Medicine; Mary Bryson, University of British Columbia; Cressida Heyes, University of Alberta), research assistants (Erin Fredericks, Ami Harbin, Brenda Hattie and Linda Dame), and the study participants.

Notes

1. Transgender: gender identity and biological sex (assigned at birth) are not in sync. Usually, someone born one biological sex who has a deep internal sense of being another gender, or at least not the gender they were assigned at birth. (E.g. I am born male-bodied with male chromosomes, but inside I know I am a girl/woman.)

2. Gender-normative: gender identity and assigned gender, biological sex, are in alignment. Refers to the power attached to being ‘the norm,’ considered ‘normal.’ Normative is both a description of what is and a prescription for what should be. So gender-normative is what is socially considered ‘normal’ and ‘as it should be,’ the ideal.

3. Queer: once widely used as a term of hate speech against LGBTQ people, it has been reclaimed in recent years. Sometimes used as an umbrella term for all those whose sexual orientation and/or gender identity are not normative. Sometimes means more specifically those who refuse the limitations of gender categories and narrowly defined sexual orientations. E.g. Gender-queer, choosing not to present as either masculine or feminine.

4. LGBTQ: Shorthand for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender. The Q may mean Queer, or Questioning, or both. Questioning: those who are unsure about their gender identity or sexual orientation, or are resisting labels. In some cases, variations are used. In Canada, sometimes an extra T is included referring to Two-spirited, a term for First Nations or Aboriginal persons who identify as gay, lesbian, bisexual, queer or gender-variant. Sometimes an I is added referring to Intersex; this refers to individuals born with physical or biological attributes of both sexes. Intersex is not included here because it is a physiological distinction, and here we are referring to gender identity. Someone who is intersex may or may not feel conflicted about their gender identity, or their sexual orientation.

5. Transitioning: Individuals may or may not choose medical interventions (hormones, surgeries) to ‘transition’ or alter their bodies to be more in accordance with their ‘felt-gender,’ the gender they identify themselves to be.

6. Gender identity: one's sense of self as boy/man, girl/woman or other. It is often, but not always, connected to one's biological sex. E.g. I am born male (sex) and I identify as a man (gender). Gender expression, one's public self-presentation, may or may not match gender identity.

7. Sexual orientation: refers to which gender(s) you have sexual desire and romantic love for. Beyond sex, it is also social and emotional desire, connection. It is often part of personal and political identity, and to varying degrees culture and community affiliation.

8. By ‘relational occupations’ we mean those things people do (or avoid doing) to navigate, negotiate, maintain, enhance, or establish social relationships. We connect here with Karen Whalley Hammell's (2004) notion of ‘belonging’ in her formulation ‘doing, being, belonging, and becoming.’

9. Felt-gender: the gender someone knows themselves to be, which may or may not match their bodily sex, their assigned gender, or their everyday gender expression.

10. Androgynous: gender ambiguous, neither masculine nor feminine, or both at once.

11. Gender dysphoria: strong sense of discomfort with one's assigned gender, as well as with the sex of one's body.

12. Passing: successfully presenting oneself in a manner that may be beneficial, e.g. LGB persons passing as heterosexual, light-skinned persons of African heritage passing as White to avoid racism, women passing as men to secure employment. Transpersons may try to pass as their assigned gender, hide their transgender identity, to avoid harassment or violence.