An academic symposium reflecting on the role of "gender theory" as a feature of Catholic engageme... more An academic symposium reflecting on the role of "gender theory" as a feature of Catholic engagements with transness, organised by Claire Jenkins (Margaret Beaufort Institute) and Nicolete Burbach (London Jesuit Centre).
This book systemically investigates the experiences of trans1 children in schools. There is a pau... more This book systemically investigates the experiences of trans1 children in schools. There is a paucity of research on this issue, so this book will inform parents/carers of trans children, teachers and school authorities. 14 young trans people, between the ages of 18-28, were recruited using social media. They were zoom interviewed using an open approach aimed at telling the stories of their school experiences. The biographical narratives were qualitatively analysed and coded using Nvivo. The results showed that education authorities and schools invariably silence trans children, exacerbated by the toxic debate surrounding these issues. Trans children are bullied by their peers both off and on-line, and by some teachers which adversely affects their mental health and achievement. There is little support from, often untrained, teachers, mental health services and the NHS. Parental response to trans children can be variable showing that they too need support. Single sex spaces and activities in schools are problematic for trans children. Puberty is a critical point for these children where bodies change, and sexuality develops. Government guidance for schools concerning trans children is ill-informed and legally questionable. Trans issues are largely absent in school curricular, so these children use social media for information. Non-binary young people are under researched, misunderstood, lack support, and are different from binary trans children. The book ends with recommendations and suggests further research to allow trans children to thrive in schools. 1 Language is evolving rapidly. Some terms that were considered acceptable in the past may be offensive in the present. Some previously offensive terms have been reclaimed by newer generations. In consequence, I use the term trans or transgender since they are contemporary terminology these terms will encompass all gender variant people including non-binary. I depart from this for either historical reasons or to specifically mention non-binary people.
A pretend gender identity: a critical response to government guidance: Gender Questioning Children, 2024
More energy is required by the department to produce a better quality, useful guidance for school... more More energy is required by the department to produce a better quality, useful guidance for schools/colleges. It might be suggested that the DfE might draw on more considered Scottish Guidance if it needs inspiration.
‘Some trans people have early memories of knowing, I didn't really have that’ - gender variant lives and associated issues., 2023
This paper is based on a research project which began in 2020 exploring the experiences of transg... more This paper is based on a research project which began in 2020 exploring the experiences of transgender and gender non-binary (TGNB) young people in schools (Jenkins, 2021a). It is based on the analysed data from the biographic narratives of 14 young TGNB children zoom interviewed in 2021 relating to the chronosystem of Bronfenbrenner’s ecological framework (Jenkins, ibid.). Analysis is facilitated using NVIVO coding of concepts and themes arising from the data and, where relevant, correlated with the literature. All names and identifying details are anonymised. The extracts quoted in the investigation have been edited for ease of reading but verbatim sections have been retained when they are significant to understanding and authenticity (Smart, 2007, Corden and Sainsbury, 2006). The contemporary experiences of TGNB young people using social media and NHS treatment are first considered. This is followed by the formation of non-binary identities their relationships with peers, and their mental health. Finally, the issues raised are discussed.
My late Paul … Will he ever have a relationship? He has struggled with relationships all his life... more My late Paul … Will he ever have a relationship? He has struggled with relationships all his life. How is this going to make; it is not necessarily going to make it any easier. Gay women will not want to be with him, straight women probably won't and gay men; it just seems it's wiped out so many options. Kaitlyn, the grieving mother of her son Paul who transitioned into a daughter Daniela.
Abstract
In 1999 I was still married to my wife and was the father of four adult children. Whe... more Abstract
In 1999 I was still married to my wife and was the father of four adult children. When I changed sex and gender I became estranged from my family. We were all distressed by this event which reflects nearly half of all transsexual transitions (De Cuyperea et al., 2006, Whittle et al., 2007). My transition impelled me to critically investigate similar transitions and its effect on familial intimates.
I argued that transition for transsexual people was primal and distinct from other transitions during the life course and that it has been neglected in studies of familial intimacy (both heterosexual and non-heterosexual) and overlooked because of institutional heterosexuality.
I interviewed 13 transsexual and 12 familial intimates (some in the same family), using a self-disclosure approach suggested by (Oakley, 1981) and telephone interviews due to wide geographical dispersion, in order for them to tell their transitional experiences.
The transitional biographical narratives of participants were qualitatively analysed and coded using Nvivo. The methodology followed that originated by Plummer (1995) in his empirical study of sexual stories.
The results showed that pre-transition transsexual people feared rejection so they adopted various strategies to begin transition. In 86% of the transitions studied cis people grieved their loss of identification with the trans person’s pre-transition sex/gender identities. The various strategies used by both trans and cis intimates to preserve relationships post-transition are discussed alongside situations where the new sex/gender identities became unrecognised. The data identified situations where intimates’ transitional distress was diminished and exacerbated. The study increased understanding of institutional heterosexuality, familial intimacies, transgender practices of care/support and transsexual transition.
DE CUYPEREA, G., ELAUTA, E., HEYLENSA, G., VAN MAELEB, G., SELVAGGIC, G., T'SJOEND, G., RUBENSA, R., HOEBEKEE, P. & MONSTREYC, S. 2006. Long-term follow-up: psychosocial outcome of Belgian transsexuals after sex reassignment surgery. Sexologies, 15, 126-133.
OAKLEY, A. 1981. Interviewing Women: A Contradiction In Terms. In: ROBERTS, H. (ed.) Doing Feminist Research. London: Routledge Kegan Paul.
PLUMMER, K. 1995. Telling sexual stories: Power, change and social worlds, London, Routledge.
SHAPIRO, E. 2010. Gender circuits, bodies and identities in a technological age, New York and London, Routledge.
WHITTLE, S., TURNER, L. & AL-ALAMI, M. 2007. Engendered Penalties: Transgender and Transsexual People’s Experiences of inequality and Discrimination. The Equalities Review,Great Britain [Online]. [Accessed 01012008].
Minister for Women and Equalities told BBC One's Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg today that new guid... more Minister for Women and Equalities told BBC One's Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg today that new guidance for schools on trans children will be issued this week. It is expected to say that trans children will be able to socially transition as long as they have parental consent. This move to routinely inform parents is dangerous as I will show from the in-depth interviews, I have had with young people. The interviews were part of my ongoing research, since 2020, into trans children's experiences in schools. The evidence I have collected suggests that the guidance, if correctly anticipated, will put trans young people at increased risk of physical abuse, homelessness, mental ill-health including suicide, school absence and bullying.
The interim report of the Cass Review into gender identity services for children and young people... more The interim report of the Cass Review into gender identity services for children and young people was published in February 2022. This response by an interested stakeholder follows the opportunity to engage and contribute to the review. The response reflects the current research of the author concerning transgender young people's experiences in schools, extensive media interest in transgender issues, and the fact that the review does not appreciate the social significance of schools in these young people's lived experience. The response follows from a close reading of the report and its qualitative analysis by the author of significant issues identified. These are; resources, transparency, the changing epidemiology of children presenting at the service, the socio-cultural dimension of gender identity, and the Gender Identity Development Service (GIDS). This response raises the question of whether there will be political motivation to implement the review's recommendations. A critical issue is the current dysfunction of Child and Adolescent Mental health Services often a key access point to GIDS. The interim report fails to appreciate the significance of schools in the lives of gender incongruent young people where evidence suggests that they experience systemic oppression. Transgender identities of both adults and children are at the epicenter of a toxic gender culture war where polarized positions of gender selfrecognition versus biological essentialism are adopted. This debate affects clinical staff at GIDS and arguably their views on treatment pathways. A way forward is suggested which focuses on a major concern of the review-the recent rapid increase of the number of natal assigned females presenting to GIDS. Incomplete referencing of the interim report hinders its critical evaluation.
This literature review investigates transgender and gender non-binary (TGNB) children in schools... more This literature review investigates transgender and gender non-binary (TGNB) children in schools: what are their experiences; why are the plethora of TGNB ‘toolkits’, policies and legislation not operationalised to alleviate their systemic neglect; what are their experiences in Catholic schools (this review was facilitated by two catholic institutions); and is Bronfenbremmer’s ecological framework useful in exploring their possible systemic oppression? This framework is used to structure and facilitate analysis of the salient issues contained in the literature. Results demonstrate that physical, verbal and cyber bullying is an issue which affects their mental health and educational attainment. Schools invariably adopt a reactive approach to their emergence which puts pioneer children and families under unreasonable pressure. Relationships Education, Relationships and Sex Education and Health Education statutory guidance omits TGNB children leaving teachers reluctant engage with the issues. In Catholic schools there is a paucity of research into TGNB issues. Further empirical research is required to investigate the range of issues revealed.
The church does not have a comprehensive, multidisciplinary public policy on the emerging spectru... more The church does not have a comprehensive, multidisciplinary public policy on the emerging spectrum of gender identities, yet there is extreme interest. Transitioning transgender people may become estranged from their families, yet, there is a paucity of research investigating this problem. This paper based on the literature review of my doctoral research explains how transsexual people's bodies, lives and identities cause controversy within families and raises many ethical and foundational concerns for the church. Discussion suggests how these issues might be held in tension with discerning pastoral care of all intimately involved.
I begin by first introducing the sociological concept of institutional heterosexuality as a fram... more I begin by first introducing the sociological concept of institutional heterosexuality as a framework to aid critique of sex, gender and sexuality. This is then followed by topics that on close reading and analysis are of importance to the Congregation for Catholic Education. These are in order: The Family; education and schools; complementarity and gender theory; discrimination and violence; and intersex. This critique concludes with a discussion of the issues raised. My aim is to inspire and encourage the Church to reflect on its position concerning these matters in the light of scientific and sociological understandings – the critique responds to the invitation for dialogue.
Abridged: experiences of trans young people in schools, 2022
The trans man Sam's story of school during the 2010s Me: Did you have personal, sex or health edu... more The trans man Sam's story of school during the 2010s Me: Did you have personal, sex or health education? Sam: I can't recall anything … there definitely, wasn't anything LGBT based. Me: That's amazing, I went to school in the 1960s it was the same thing then as in the 1980s [see Steven's story interviewed in 2008]. Sam: Really! Me: We are talking 40 to 50 years ago. Sam: Well, I imagine now it is a lot different, I left secondary school in 2015 and there was nothing … it was pretty awful.
Introduction: hurting children the experiences of transgender and gender non-binary children in schools , 2024
School made me completely shy to a point where I couldn't read, and I stuttered when I talked to ... more School made me completely shy to a point where I couldn't read, and I stuttered when I talked to people. I probably still do sometimes but I don't feel stressed about it like I did when I was a teenager. It just took such a long time to undo all of the damage from school, at college I was dressing more masculine, but I was still sort of apprehensive about it-George1.
An academic symposium reflecting on the role of "gender theory" as a feature of Catholic engageme... more An academic symposium reflecting on the role of "gender theory" as a feature of Catholic engagements with transness, organised by Claire Jenkins (Margaret Beaufort Institute) and Nicolete Burbach (London Jesuit Centre).
This book systemically investigates the experiences of trans1 children in schools. There is a pau... more This book systemically investigates the experiences of trans1 children in schools. There is a paucity of research on this issue, so this book will inform parents/carers of trans children, teachers and school authorities. 14 young trans people, between the ages of 18-28, were recruited using social media. They were zoom interviewed using an open approach aimed at telling the stories of their school experiences. The biographical narratives were qualitatively analysed and coded using Nvivo. The results showed that education authorities and schools invariably silence trans children, exacerbated by the toxic debate surrounding these issues. Trans children are bullied by their peers both off and on-line, and by some teachers which adversely affects their mental health and achievement. There is little support from, often untrained, teachers, mental health services and the NHS. Parental response to trans children can be variable showing that they too need support. Single sex spaces and activities in schools are problematic for trans children. Puberty is a critical point for these children where bodies change, and sexuality develops. Government guidance for schools concerning trans children is ill-informed and legally questionable. Trans issues are largely absent in school curricular, so these children use social media for information. Non-binary young people are under researched, misunderstood, lack support, and are different from binary trans children. The book ends with recommendations and suggests further research to allow trans children to thrive in schools. 1 Language is evolving rapidly. Some terms that were considered acceptable in the past may be offensive in the present. Some previously offensive terms have been reclaimed by newer generations. In consequence, I use the term trans or transgender since they are contemporary terminology these terms will encompass all gender variant people including non-binary. I depart from this for either historical reasons or to specifically mention non-binary people.
A pretend gender identity: a critical response to government guidance: Gender Questioning Children, 2024
More energy is required by the department to produce a better quality, useful guidance for school... more More energy is required by the department to produce a better quality, useful guidance for schools/colleges. It might be suggested that the DfE might draw on more considered Scottish Guidance if it needs inspiration.
‘Some trans people have early memories of knowing, I didn't really have that’ - gender variant lives and associated issues., 2023
This paper is based on a research project which began in 2020 exploring the experiences of transg... more This paper is based on a research project which began in 2020 exploring the experiences of transgender and gender non-binary (TGNB) young people in schools (Jenkins, 2021a). It is based on the analysed data from the biographic narratives of 14 young TGNB children zoom interviewed in 2021 relating to the chronosystem of Bronfenbrenner’s ecological framework (Jenkins, ibid.). Analysis is facilitated using NVIVO coding of concepts and themes arising from the data and, where relevant, correlated with the literature. All names and identifying details are anonymised. The extracts quoted in the investigation have been edited for ease of reading but verbatim sections have been retained when they are significant to understanding and authenticity (Smart, 2007, Corden and Sainsbury, 2006). The contemporary experiences of TGNB young people using social media and NHS treatment are first considered. This is followed by the formation of non-binary identities their relationships with peers, and their mental health. Finally, the issues raised are discussed.
My late Paul … Will he ever have a relationship? He has struggled with relationships all his life... more My late Paul … Will he ever have a relationship? He has struggled with relationships all his life. How is this going to make; it is not necessarily going to make it any easier. Gay women will not want to be with him, straight women probably won't and gay men; it just seems it's wiped out so many options. Kaitlyn, the grieving mother of her son Paul who transitioned into a daughter Daniela.
Abstract
In 1999 I was still married to my wife and was the father of four adult children. Whe... more Abstract
In 1999 I was still married to my wife and was the father of four adult children. When I changed sex and gender I became estranged from my family. We were all distressed by this event which reflects nearly half of all transsexual transitions (De Cuyperea et al., 2006, Whittle et al., 2007). My transition impelled me to critically investigate similar transitions and its effect on familial intimates.
I argued that transition for transsexual people was primal and distinct from other transitions during the life course and that it has been neglected in studies of familial intimacy (both heterosexual and non-heterosexual) and overlooked because of institutional heterosexuality.
I interviewed 13 transsexual and 12 familial intimates (some in the same family), using a self-disclosure approach suggested by (Oakley, 1981) and telephone interviews due to wide geographical dispersion, in order for them to tell their transitional experiences.
The transitional biographical narratives of participants were qualitatively analysed and coded using Nvivo. The methodology followed that originated by Plummer (1995) in his empirical study of sexual stories.
The results showed that pre-transition transsexual people feared rejection so they adopted various strategies to begin transition. In 86% of the transitions studied cis people grieved their loss of identification with the trans person’s pre-transition sex/gender identities. The various strategies used by both trans and cis intimates to preserve relationships post-transition are discussed alongside situations where the new sex/gender identities became unrecognised. The data identified situations where intimates’ transitional distress was diminished and exacerbated. The study increased understanding of institutional heterosexuality, familial intimacies, transgender practices of care/support and transsexual transition.
DE CUYPEREA, G., ELAUTA, E., HEYLENSA, G., VAN MAELEB, G., SELVAGGIC, G., T'SJOEND, G., RUBENSA, R., HOEBEKEE, P. & MONSTREYC, S. 2006. Long-term follow-up: psychosocial outcome of Belgian transsexuals after sex reassignment surgery. Sexologies, 15, 126-133.
OAKLEY, A. 1981. Interviewing Women: A Contradiction In Terms. In: ROBERTS, H. (ed.) Doing Feminist Research. London: Routledge Kegan Paul.
PLUMMER, K. 1995. Telling sexual stories: Power, change and social worlds, London, Routledge.
SHAPIRO, E. 2010. Gender circuits, bodies and identities in a technological age, New York and London, Routledge.
WHITTLE, S., TURNER, L. & AL-ALAMI, M. 2007. Engendered Penalties: Transgender and Transsexual People’s Experiences of inequality and Discrimination. The Equalities Review,Great Britain [Online]. [Accessed 01012008].
Minister for Women and Equalities told BBC One's Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg today that new guid... more Minister for Women and Equalities told BBC One's Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg today that new guidance for schools on trans children will be issued this week. It is expected to say that trans children will be able to socially transition as long as they have parental consent. This move to routinely inform parents is dangerous as I will show from the in-depth interviews, I have had with young people. The interviews were part of my ongoing research, since 2020, into trans children's experiences in schools. The evidence I have collected suggests that the guidance, if correctly anticipated, will put trans young people at increased risk of physical abuse, homelessness, mental ill-health including suicide, school absence and bullying.
The interim report of the Cass Review into gender identity services for children and young people... more The interim report of the Cass Review into gender identity services for children and young people was published in February 2022. This response by an interested stakeholder follows the opportunity to engage and contribute to the review. The response reflects the current research of the author concerning transgender young people's experiences in schools, extensive media interest in transgender issues, and the fact that the review does not appreciate the social significance of schools in these young people's lived experience. The response follows from a close reading of the report and its qualitative analysis by the author of significant issues identified. These are; resources, transparency, the changing epidemiology of children presenting at the service, the socio-cultural dimension of gender identity, and the Gender Identity Development Service (GIDS). This response raises the question of whether there will be political motivation to implement the review's recommendations. A critical issue is the current dysfunction of Child and Adolescent Mental health Services often a key access point to GIDS. The interim report fails to appreciate the significance of schools in the lives of gender incongruent young people where evidence suggests that they experience systemic oppression. Transgender identities of both adults and children are at the epicenter of a toxic gender culture war where polarized positions of gender selfrecognition versus biological essentialism are adopted. This debate affects clinical staff at GIDS and arguably their views on treatment pathways. A way forward is suggested which focuses on a major concern of the review-the recent rapid increase of the number of natal assigned females presenting to GIDS. Incomplete referencing of the interim report hinders its critical evaluation.
This literature review investigates transgender and gender non-binary (TGNB) children in schools... more This literature review investigates transgender and gender non-binary (TGNB) children in schools: what are their experiences; why are the plethora of TGNB ‘toolkits’, policies and legislation not operationalised to alleviate their systemic neglect; what are their experiences in Catholic schools (this review was facilitated by two catholic institutions); and is Bronfenbremmer’s ecological framework useful in exploring their possible systemic oppression? This framework is used to structure and facilitate analysis of the salient issues contained in the literature. Results demonstrate that physical, verbal and cyber bullying is an issue which affects their mental health and educational attainment. Schools invariably adopt a reactive approach to their emergence which puts pioneer children and families under unreasonable pressure. Relationships Education, Relationships and Sex Education and Health Education statutory guidance omits TGNB children leaving teachers reluctant engage with the issues. In Catholic schools there is a paucity of research into TGNB issues. Further empirical research is required to investigate the range of issues revealed.
The church does not have a comprehensive, multidisciplinary public policy on the emerging spectru... more The church does not have a comprehensive, multidisciplinary public policy on the emerging spectrum of gender identities, yet there is extreme interest. Transitioning transgender people may become estranged from their families, yet, there is a paucity of research investigating this problem. This paper based on the literature review of my doctoral research explains how transsexual people's bodies, lives and identities cause controversy within families and raises many ethical and foundational concerns for the church. Discussion suggests how these issues might be held in tension with discerning pastoral care of all intimately involved.
I begin by first introducing the sociological concept of institutional heterosexuality as a fram... more I begin by first introducing the sociological concept of institutional heterosexuality as a framework to aid critique of sex, gender and sexuality. This is then followed by topics that on close reading and analysis are of importance to the Congregation for Catholic Education. These are in order: The Family; education and schools; complementarity and gender theory; discrimination and violence; and intersex. This critique concludes with a discussion of the issues raised. My aim is to inspire and encourage the Church to reflect on its position concerning these matters in the light of scientific and sociological understandings – the critique responds to the invitation for dialogue.
Abridged: experiences of trans young people in schools, 2022
The trans man Sam's story of school during the 2010s Me: Did you have personal, sex or health edu... more The trans man Sam's story of school during the 2010s Me: Did you have personal, sex or health education? Sam: I can't recall anything … there definitely, wasn't anything LGBT based. Me: That's amazing, I went to school in the 1960s it was the same thing then as in the 1980s [see Steven's story interviewed in 2008]. Sam: Really! Me: We are talking 40 to 50 years ago. Sam: Well, I imagine now it is a lot different, I left secondary school in 2015 and there was nothing … it was pretty awful.
Introduction: hurting children the experiences of transgender and gender non-binary children in schools , 2024
School made me completely shy to a point where I couldn't read, and I stuttered when I talked to ... more School made me completely shy to a point where I couldn't read, and I stuttered when I talked to people. I probably still do sometimes but I don't feel stressed about it like I did when I was a teenager. It just took such a long time to undo all of the damage from school, at college I was dressing more masculine, but I was still sort of apprehensive about it-George1.
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In 1999 I was still married to my wife and was the father of four adult children. When I changed sex and gender I became estranged from my family. We were all distressed by this event which reflects nearly half of all transsexual transitions (De Cuyperea et al., 2006, Whittle et al., 2007). My transition impelled me to critically investigate similar transitions and its effect on familial intimates.
I argued that transition for transsexual people was primal and distinct from other transitions during the life course and that it has been neglected in studies of familial intimacy (both heterosexual and non-heterosexual) and overlooked because of institutional heterosexuality.
I interviewed 13 transsexual and 12 familial intimates (some in the same family), using a self-disclosure approach suggested by (Oakley, 1981) and telephone interviews due to wide geographical dispersion, in order for them to tell their transitional experiences.
The transitional biographical narratives of participants were qualitatively analysed and coded using Nvivo. The methodology followed that originated by Plummer (1995) in his empirical study of sexual stories.
The results showed that pre-transition transsexual people feared rejection so they adopted various strategies to begin transition. In 86% of the transitions studied cis people grieved their loss of identification with the trans person’s pre-transition sex/gender identities. The various strategies used by both trans and cis intimates to preserve relationships post-transition are discussed alongside situations where the new sex/gender identities became unrecognised. The data identified situations where intimates’ transitional distress was diminished and exacerbated. The study increased understanding of institutional heterosexuality, familial intimacies, transgender practices of care/support and transsexual transition.
DE CUYPEREA, G., ELAUTA, E., HEYLENSA, G., VAN MAELEB, G., SELVAGGIC, G., T'SJOEND, G., RUBENSA, R., HOEBEKEE, P. & MONSTREYC, S. 2006. Long-term follow-up: psychosocial outcome of Belgian transsexuals after sex reassignment surgery. Sexologies, 15, 126-133.
OAKLEY, A. 1981. Interviewing Women: A Contradiction In Terms. In: ROBERTS, H. (ed.) Doing Feminist Research. London: Routledge Kegan Paul.
PLUMMER, K. 1995. Telling sexual stories: Power, change and social worlds, London, Routledge.
SHAPIRO, E. 2010. Gender circuits, bodies and identities in a technological age, New York and London, Routledge.
WHITTLE, S., TURNER, L. & AL-ALAMI, M. 2007. Engendered Penalties: Transgender and Transsexual People’s Experiences of inequality and Discrimination. The Equalities Review,Great Britain [Online]. [Accessed 01012008].
In 1999 I was still married to my wife and was the father of four adult children. When I changed sex and gender I became estranged from my family. We were all distressed by this event which reflects nearly half of all transsexual transitions (De Cuyperea et al., 2006, Whittle et al., 2007). My transition impelled me to critically investigate similar transitions and its effect on familial intimates.
I argued that transition for transsexual people was primal and distinct from other transitions during the life course and that it has been neglected in studies of familial intimacy (both heterosexual and non-heterosexual) and overlooked because of institutional heterosexuality.
I interviewed 13 transsexual and 12 familial intimates (some in the same family), using a self-disclosure approach suggested by (Oakley, 1981) and telephone interviews due to wide geographical dispersion, in order for them to tell their transitional experiences.
The transitional biographical narratives of participants were qualitatively analysed and coded using Nvivo. The methodology followed that originated by Plummer (1995) in his empirical study of sexual stories.
The results showed that pre-transition transsexual people feared rejection so they adopted various strategies to begin transition. In 86% of the transitions studied cis people grieved their loss of identification with the trans person’s pre-transition sex/gender identities. The various strategies used by both trans and cis intimates to preserve relationships post-transition are discussed alongside situations where the new sex/gender identities became unrecognised. The data identified situations where intimates’ transitional distress was diminished and exacerbated. The study increased understanding of institutional heterosexuality, familial intimacies, transgender practices of care/support and transsexual transition.
DE CUYPEREA, G., ELAUTA, E., HEYLENSA, G., VAN MAELEB, G., SELVAGGIC, G., T'SJOEND, G., RUBENSA, R., HOEBEKEE, P. & MONSTREYC, S. 2006. Long-term follow-up: psychosocial outcome of Belgian transsexuals after sex reassignment surgery. Sexologies, 15, 126-133.
OAKLEY, A. 1981. Interviewing Women: A Contradiction In Terms. In: ROBERTS, H. (ed.) Doing Feminist Research. London: Routledge Kegan Paul.
PLUMMER, K. 1995. Telling sexual stories: Power, change and social worlds, London, Routledge.
SHAPIRO, E. 2010. Gender circuits, bodies and identities in a technological age, New York and London, Routledge.
WHITTLE, S., TURNER, L. & AL-ALAMI, M. 2007. Engendered Penalties: Transgender and Transsexual People’s Experiences of inequality and Discrimination. The Equalities Review,Great Britain [Online]. [Accessed 01012008].