The social construction of gender variance in childhood, adolescence and parenthood: A story completion study

Abstract

Adults and children with gender variance (GV) face misunderstanding and discrimination, sometimes leading to mental health difficulties. Family support has been found to buffer these difficulties or to compound them when lacking (Westwater et al., 2019). However, little is known about how GV is considered in the context of families. In the current study, online story completion elicited forty-five narratives of family life where a protagonist discloses their GV. The older the protagonist, the more seriously their disclosure was taken. All family members were depicted as being impacted by the disclosure, and social stigma and bullying were often the expected consequence. Heteronormative and gender-binary thinking dominated the stories both in the descriptions of the protagonist's transition from one gender to another, and in the descriptions of the gender-typical behaviour of the other family members. Non-binary genders were rarely considered, and a dysphoric view of GV was often held. Practitioner points This study confirmed that heteronormative and binary-gendered views predominate society, and so families, who will want to protect and support their GV member, will value support from therapists to navigate this territory. Family therapy is helpful to explore the multiple perspectives held within families when one member discloses gender variance, and challenge heteronormative and gender-binary discourses. Non-binary identities should be supported as a valid identity in their own right and not a transition point from one gender to another.