ABSTRACT

It's the cultural incongruity between the gendered meaning of their sexed bodies and their felt and affirmed gender that cause trans suffering. It is, for example, persons assigned a female sexed body at birth but whose subjective gender falls heavily on the masculine spectrum that triggers potential trauma or crisis; in effect, the discord experienced between their sexed bodies and gendered psyche places them at odds with a cisgendered normativity. Moreover, these sexed and gendered identities bear the markings of nature, normality, health, rightness, and godliness. And, for male bodies, especially if they manifest hegemonic masculine expressions and especially if they are white, cisgendered normativity has historically conferred on them an ideal and privileged status. Trans people also seek a psychically deep and sustaining sense of belonging and self validation— and for many this pivots on securing a sense of home in their own bodies.