Transgender-parent families

Abstract

Transgender-parent families develop their families within a context of systemic discrimination and marginalization. Because they transgress the heteronormative nuclear family ideal, transgender-parent families may uniquely destabilize traditional gender norms within family relationships. Drawing on interdisciplinary research and theory, the current chapter examines how discrimination may impact transgender parents, their partners, and their children. Attention is given to how the timing of “transitioning” for transgender parents influences individual and family development. Given the diversity of transgender identifications (e.g., male to female; female to male), the current chapter examines how different gender identifications of transgender parents may shape family formation. Lastly, focus is given to exploring how social location, with regard to variables such as race, socioeconomic status, and geographic location, may uniquely impact processes of transitioning as well as the experiences of transgender-parent families more broadly.