University of New Mexico UNM Digital Repository American Studies ETDs Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2-1-2016 Complicating Transgender: White Privilege and the Politics of Rurality Jordon Johnson Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalrepository.unm.edu/amst_etds Recommended Citation Johnson, Jordon. "Complicating Transgender: White Privilege and the Politics of Rurality." (2016). https://digitalrepository.unm.edu/amst_etds/20 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Electronic Theses and Dissertations at UNM Digital Repository. It has been accepted for inclusion in American Studies ETDs by an authorized administrator of UNM Digital Repository. For more information, please contact
[email protected]. i Jordon Johnson Candidate American Studies Department This dissertation is approved, and it is acceptable in quality and form for publication: Approved by the Dissertation Committee: Dr. Alyosha Goldstein , Chairperson Dr. Rebecca Schreiber Dr. Brian Herrera Dr. Susan Stryker ii COMPLICATING TRANSGENDER: WHITE PRIVILEGE AND THE POLITICS OF RURALITY by JORDON JOHNSON Department of American Studies DISSERTATION Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy American Studies The University of New Mexico Albuquerque, New Mexico December 2015 iii Complicating Transgender: White Privilege and the Politics of Rurality Jordon Johnson, M.A., MSW, PhD. American Studies, University of New Mexico, 2015 Abstract This dissertation argues a dominant transgender narrative manifested through a focus on transgender bodies and prioritizing access to medical procedures when personal stories began to be publicly shared. With limited public conversations about the influence of a dominant transgender narrative, public understandings about the community have become isolated to one facet of some peoples lived experiences.