Meaning Matters: Framing Trans Identity in the Context of Family Relationships

Disclosure of trans identities has been shown to bring about change in family relationships, yet little is known about how trans identities function as family stressors. The meanings we make for family stressors determine how we experience them and thus are consequential to our well-being (Boss, 1992) as well as to relational outcomes. In this study, I conducted telephone interviews with 37 family members of someone who is trans-identified. Using qualitative, dialogic analysis, I examined the meanings they assigned to trans identity, the complex processes by which they arrived at those meanings, and how meanings fostered or hindered support for their trans relative or partner. Participants constructed trans identity as a medical condition, a natural nuance of gender identity, or a lifestyle choice in light of their allegiance to their trans-identified family members, the possibility of criticism from outsiders, and their own global meaning systems.