ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the harmful effects on the lesbian community, on lesbian relationships, and on feminism. It describes the partners of lesbians who transgender can find they have no role in parts of the lesbian community and are not recognized as lesbians, while their transgender partners. The partners of female-bodied transgenders found themselves engaged in exhausting emotional work, not only in terms of supporting their partner through transition, but also dealing with communication within the relationship and managing family and community issues. Another way in which relationships that include a female-bodied transgender can replicate heteronormative patterns is the psychological abuse and physical violence that are exercised by some of the transitioning partners. Although there are some apparent benefits for individual women who transgender, the harms are considerable, in terms of not only their physical long-term health, but also what it does to their partners, to lesbian communities and to feminism.
