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Stories of Sameness and Difference: The Views and Experiences of Children and Adolescents with a trans* Parent

Accepted version
Peer-reviewed

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Type

Article

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Authors

Zadeh, S 
Imrie, S 

Abstract

Scholarly attention has recently been given to the ways in which gender and parenting identities intersect, yet little is known about how children and adolescents with a trans* parent experience family life and relationships. This article reports data from a qualitative study in the UK based on interviews with 29 children and adolescents aged 5-18, all of whom have at least one parent who is trans*. Drawing upon theories of symbolic interactionism, the study investigated children and adolescents’ meaning-making and experiences of family life and relationships in the context of their parent’s gender identity. Data were analyzed using a theoretically informed thematic approach, which resulted in the identification of four main themes. Overall, findings suggest that parental gender identity does not adversely impact upon how children and adolescents perceive their relationship with their parent, but may be otherwise relevant to their experiences both within and outside of the home. Findings are discussed in relation to theories of family display (Finch, 2007), and discourse dependence (Galvin, 2006), suggesting that combining and extending these perspectives might be useful for understanding the perspectives of children and adolescents in different contexts of family diversity.

Description

Keywords

trans*, trans* parent, children's perspectives, family display, discourse dependence

Journal Title

Journal of GLBT Family Studies

Conference Name

Journal ISSN

1550-428X
1550-4298

Volume Title

17

Publisher

Informa UK Limited

Rights

All rights reserved
Sponsorship
Wellcome Trust (097857/Z/11/Z)