Lunchtime conferences

Abstract

Research shows that parental support is very important for young trans and non-binary people. However, little is known about the experiences of parental support for young people who have undergone and then discontinued a gender transition (a phenomenon also known as detransition or discontinuation). This presentation looks at how parental support has changed over time and the impact this has had on young people who have discontinued or detransitioned. Between 2020 and 2022, we interviewed 25 young people aged 15 to 25 who had made a social, legal and/or medical transition and who had subsequently interrupted it, either temporarily or permanently. A thematic analysis of the data revealed 4 forms of support: strong support, no support, ambiguous support and conditional support. Using a retrospective longitudinal analysis, we then identified 4 trajectories of parental support over time: continuous strong support, continuous absence of support, progressive support and unstable support. The results show that support that was absent, ambiguous, conditional and/or fluctuating had a negative impact on young people and could in some cases play a role in detransition trajectories. This research shows the importance of strong, continuous and non-binding parental support for young people of gender diversity.

Biography

Morgane Gelly (she/they) | Senior Research Advisor

After completing a double degree in anthropology and sociology in France, Morgane moved to Montreal to pursue her interest in gender studies. In 2018, she completed a master's degree in sociology at UQAM with a thesis on access to gynaecological care for trans men. Since 2019, Morgane has been working with Annie Pullen Sansfaçon as a research coordinator at the Canada Research Chair on Transgender Children and their Families, in particular on the Discours (De)trans project. In 2023, he took up the position of Senior Research Advisor for the new ReParE Chair.

Abstract

Transnormativity, a prescriptive ideology that determines the legitimacy of transgender identities based on adherence to the binaristic medical model (Johnson, 2016), has become the dominant narrative in trans discourse. Within this framework, trans binary individuals with cis-readable embodiments and relatively linear social, medical, and legal affirmation processes often feel validated, while those with nonbinary embodiments and identities frequently experience invalidation (Bradford & Syed, 2019; Johnson, 2015).
This presentation delves deeper into the concept of transnormativity, which imposes expectations of conformity and consistency (Medico & Pullen Sansfaçon, 2017), and how it functions as a dominant narrative that creates a hierarchy within the already marginalized transgender community. We will explore how this homogenized or normative perception of what it means to be transgender shapes the lives, embodiment goals, and identity development processes of transgender adolescents.

Biography

Manvi Arora is a Post-Doctoral Research Fellow who has recently finished her term at University of Montreal. She’s a volunteer Researcher with Association for Transgender Health in India (ATHI) and is also associated with Simone De Beauvoir Institute, Concordia University as Affiliated Assistant Professor. She holds a Ph.D degree in Education, from the University of Delhi, along with three post-graduate degrees in the disciplines of Psychology, Sociology and Education respectively. She has been closely working with the Indian transgender community for their educational and identity based rights at the grassroots for over a decade now. She is one of the authors and panel members for developing National Guidelines and Training Material for inclusion of Transgender Children in School Education focusing on their concerns and way ahead, with National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT), Government of India. Interdisciplinary knowledge supports her pursuit to unravel lived realities and social challenges of non-conformity to prescribed gender norms, which is otherwise a neglected area of research in Indian academics and currently through making voices of Indian transgender and non-binary youth heard at a global platform in CIHR funded international, longitudinal, research project titled “Growing Up Trans” where she is one of the co-author.

India, largest global democracy also has the largest population of transgender people in the world. Despite sizable number and a visible form of conventional-transfeminine population, Transgender and Gender Diverse individuals of the country have been marginalized and ostracized by a society that once worshipped gender fluidity. Transgender community lacked legislative protection, social acceptance, means to social mobility, claims to civil rights and to life of dignity until last couple of decades.

Recent progressive legislations, such as the landmark Supreme Court Judgement of 2014 (popularly known as the NALSA judgement), The Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act, 2019, are miniscule but unprecedented attempts to redress century long discrimination towards the community.

However, in strong political will and realization of urgency of empowering the long neglected community the focus on socio-medical, legal and educational rights of TGDY are completely absent from Indian Trans-rights discourse. Thus, representation of an entire community who do not conform to hegemonic ways of performing gender and have not attained majority is deliberately invisiblized.

This session will deconstruct the attitude of Indian society towards youth in general and Transgender and Gender Diverse youth in specific, situated within the characteristic diversities of India. The influence of social nexus on TGDY’s identity development, psychological and physiological well-being will be highlighted. Attempt will also be made to examine the scope provided to TGDY in implementations of recent administrative and legislative initiatives in the field of education, human rights and health. The discussion is based on first hand experiences of Indian youth who have been in the space where idealistic socialization comes face to face with non-normative instinctual existence and results in negotiation, conflict, resistance, transformation and possibilities for spectrum of existence within Indian context.

À propos de notre conférencière

Manvi Arora (elle) est chercheuse postdoctorale à l’Université de Montréal et chercheuse bénévole auprès de l’Association pour la Santé Trans en Inde (ATHI). Elle est titulaire d’un doctorat en éducation de l’Université de Delhi. Elle détient aussi trois diplômes d’études supérieures en psychologie, sociologie et éducation. Depuis plus d’une décennie, elle travaille en étroite collaboration avec les communautés trans indiennes pour défendre leurs droits à l’éducation et à la reconnaissance de leurs identités. Elle est l’une des auteures et membres du comité chargé d’élaborer des lignes directrices nationales et du matériel de formation pour l’inclusion des enfants trans dans le système scolaire indien en mettant l’accent sur leurs préoccupations et la voie à suivre, avec le Conseil national de recherche et de formation en éducation (NCERT) du gouvernement indien. Ses connaissances interdisciplinaires l’aident à démêler les réalités vécues et les défis sociaux liés à la non-conformité aux normes de genre prescrites, un domaine de recherche négligé par les universitaires indien·ne·s et qui consiste actuellement à faire entendre la voix des personnes indiennes trans et non-binaires. Elle chapeaute le volet indien du projet de recherche longitudinal international financé par le CIHR intitulé «Grandir trans», dont elle est l’une des coauteur·e·s, et auquel participe également la Chaire de recherche sur les enfants trans et leurs familles pour témoigner de la situation au Québec.

For several decades, research findings from academia and public organisations have confirmed that homophobia, transphobia and biphobia have a harmful impact on the well-being of 2SLGBTQIA+ individuals and their families. In particular, a large number of transgender people are regularly subjected to discrimination in education, housing, employment and health services. Reforming institutions to guarantee human rights for 2SLGBTQIA+ communities is a complex process that requires power at the social, educational, and media levels. This presentation aims to explore the role of 2SLGBTQIA+ allies in this process, especially with regard to transgender people.

A graduate of the University of Montreal, Wendy is an associate professor at Murdoch University in Western Australia. Her research highlights digital literacies, diversity and equity, with a focus on gender and sexuality. Her latest book, LGBTQI+ Allies in Education, Advocacy, Activism, and Participatory Collaborative Research, is published by Routledge.

A presentation by the Research Team on Trans Youth and Their Families, the Canada Research Chair on Trans Children and Their Families, and the Centre for Public Health Research (CReSP).

Summary:
The Moore ruling (2021), concerning the amendment of certain articles of the Quebec Civil Code deemed discriminatory towards trans and non-binary people, has been hailed as a ‘historic’ decision for trans rights (Centre de lutte contre l'oppression des genres, 2021). Among other things, this decision recognised the right of non-binary people to obtain a marker reflecting their gender identity, i.e. neither M nor F. However, the ruling also left intact the obligation to assign a sex at birth – an obligation which, according to author Heath Fogg Davis, is at the root of discrimination based on "gender identity " (Davis, 2017, p. 46).

This lunchtime lecture therefore aims to share some thoughts on the imposition of a gender marker on individuals' identification documents and, by extension, the obligation to assign a sex at birth. The presentation will explore, from a queer and trans perspective, some of the legal arguments developed in the Moore ruling around issues of gender identity, sex assignment at birth, and trans identity. Following the presentation of this issue, there will be a question and answer period and discussion in which attendees are strongly encouraged to participate.

A word about Léo...

Léo Lecomte is a trans woman and a master's student in law and society, with a concentration in feminist studies, at the University of Quebec in Montreal. They are interested in queer and trans politics, the institutional nature of cis-heteronormativity, and the emergence of transnormativity. They take a critical queer perspective on law in their work, and their thesis focuses on the abolition of sex/gender markers on identification documents in Quebec.

Detransitioning, i.e. the discontinuation of a social, medical and/or legal gender transition, has been the subject of increased media attention in recent years. This study examines the meanings conveyed in the print media's discourse on this phenomenon. From a critical perspective, this study aims to map the definitions, characterisations and representations of detransitioning that circulate in the international print media. To this end, a thematic analysis of media framing was carried out on a corpus of 192 journalistic articles dealing with detransitioning, published between 1 June 2017 and 31 December 2020. These articles, in French or English, come mainly from the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia and France. Three major news events influenced media coverage of detransitioning: the trial of Keira Bell, a detransitioned woman who sued the Tavistock and Portman NHS Trust clinic in the United Kingdom for prescribing her hormone blockers at the age of 16; transphobic tweets by J.K. Rowling, author of Harry Potter, who invoked detransitioning to invalidate transitioning; and Keira Bell's legal victory. More than just the dominance of a framing that equates transitioning with a mistake, the preliminary results reveal the presence of a typical rhetorical structure that implicitly tends to condemn any fluid approach to gender identity.

In recent years, a growing number of young people have identified as ‘detransitioners’ or ‘detransitioning,’ highlighting their experiences of stopping gender transition. In the mainstream media, their experiences are often presented as being characterised by regret. This exploratory article presents how young people who have interrupted their gender transition feel about their journey.

Method: Semi-structured interviews were conducted in autumn 2020 via video calls with 20 young people who had ended their gender transition, recruited through an invitation to participate posted on various social media platforms. Participants were aged 16 to 25 and lived in different countries around the world. The data were analysed using inductive thematic analysis.

Results: In the sample, some young people expressed regret, while others stated that their detransitioning journey was part of a process of becoming who they are today. At the time of the interviews, many participants did not identify with a cisgender identity.

Objectives: To discuss the prospects and obstacles of a photovoice research project with young trans people in the care of youth protection services.

Method: In the context of the Covid-19 pandemic, our research team had to rethink its research proposal in order to obtain the perspectives of young trans people on their placement experiences, while complying with the health measures in place. A photovoice project emerged as a new and relevant method for achieving our research objectives: 1) it allows participants to share aspects of their experience of placement as young trans people without the barriers of power and communication inherent in a semi-structured interview; 2) it highlights the role of young people as experts in their own knowledge and facilitates a perspective of empowerment in research and practice; 3) the use of technology (mobile phones) allows young people to collect data and return it to researchers without any contact between them.

Results: Nearly a year after recruitment began, only two participants had started their photovoice project, and only one of them had completed it. Recruitment efforts are still ongoing and have even been expanded across the province, but researchers have identified challenges that will be discussed in the presentation: 1) negotiating critical issues such as remuneration and confidentiality with research ethics committees and clinical teams; 2) recruiting and retaining eligible participants, who are often isolated from the digital world; 3) supporting young people's ability to successfully complete their photovoice, in a context of distance and restrictions associated with placement; 4) retention strategies involved in a long-term project, particularly during Covid-19.

Conclusions: The use of participatory research methods is new and, to our knowledge, has never been used before with young people in care in Quebec. Many challenges emerge from the process; reflections, recommendations and caveats will be discussed. The presentation will also address the research experience as a way of uncovering barriers and oppression in the lives of young trans people in care.