RHETORIC OF TRANS* IDENTITIES: PUBLIC REACTIONS TO PRIVATE CONFESSIONS by KELSEY T. ABELE B.A., Gustavus Adolphus College, 2014 A THESIS submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree MASTER OF ARTS Department of Communication Studies College of Arts and Sciences KANSAS STATE UNIVERSITY Manhattan, Kansas 2016 Approved by: Major Professor Charles Griffin Copyright KELSEY T. ABELE 2016 Abstract The year 2015 provided a hotbed of discussion about trans* identities. Caitlyn Jenner’s public announcement of her identity as transgender shortly followed by Rachel Dolezal unveiling as a woman with Caucasian heritage. Using publically accessible interviews such as the Diane Sawyer interview with Bruce Jenner, both of Matt Lauer’s conversations with Dolezal and Jenner, Melissa Harris-Perry’s interview with Dolezal, as well as two Vanity Fair stories provide a space for a closer examination of how trans* identities are negotiated in a conversational setting. Using Hecht’s (1993) communication theory of identity to investigate how the four proposed frames (personal, enactment, relationship, and communal) operate under the lens of trans* identities in flux. This thesis aims to explore the kinds of linguist framing motifs used by both an exemplar of the transgender community and an individual treading the barrier between Caucasian and black identities, ultimately leading to a discussion about how language confines personal and socially structure identity and identification. The implications of this identity work tangles with the reliance on personal experience as an expression of identity and its persuasive power to impact discourse. The linguistic tropes that confine identity expression inherently impact a community of individuals struggling to navigate trans* identity acceptance in a larger sphere. Keywords: trans*, identity, identification, race, gender, language, communication theory of identity Table of Contents List of Figures..............................................................................................................................viii Acknowledgements........................................................................................................................ ix Dedication....................................................................................................................................... x Chapter 1 - Rationale ...................................................................................................................... 1 Chapter 2 - Review of Literature .................................................................................................... 5 Race Identity............................................................................................................................... 5 Sex Identity................................................................................................................................. 8 Gender Identity ......................................................................................................................... 10 Identity...................................................................................................................................... 13 Identification............................................................................................................................. 15 Complications in Identification............................................................................................. 17 Identification in Language .................................................................................................... 18 Passing ...................................................................................................................................... 20 Trans* ....................................................................................................................................... 24 Chapter 3 - Communication Theory of Identity ........................................................................... 27 Personal Frame ......................................................................................................................... 28 Enactment Frame ...................................................................................................................... 29 Relationship Frame................................................................................................................... 30 Communal Frame ..................................................................................................................... 32 Chapter 4 - Analysis...................................................................................................................... 36 Justification of Texts................................................................................................................. 36 Personal Frame ......................................................................................................................... 36 Caitlyn Jenner ....................................................................................................................... 37 A move toward self-honesty. ............................................................................................ 37 Born this way. ................................................................................................................... 40 Soul. .............................................................................................................................. 41 Body.............................................................................................................................. 42 Rejection of stuck. ........................................................................................................ 44 Emergent self. ................................................................................................................... 44 iv Rachel Dolezal ...................................................................................................................... 45 Race and cultural blackness.............................................................................................. 45 Complexity.................................................................................................................... 46 Experience and connection. .............................................................................................. 47 Identity on a continuum. ................................................................................................... 49 Physical portrayal.............................................................................................................. 51 Identity impact work credibility.................................................................................... 52 Enactment ................................................................................................................................. 53 Caitlyn Jenner ....................................................................................................................... 53 Familial interactions.......................................................................................................... 53 Wives. ........................................................................................................................... 53 Kids............................................................................................................................... 57 Salvage relationships. ....................................................................................................... 60 Masculine/feminine different actions. .............................................................................. 62 Sports now and then...................................................................................................... 63 Dress or appearance. ..................................................................................................... 64 Girls’ night.................................................................................................................... 65 Rachael Dolezal .................................................................................................................... 66 Roles. ................................................................................................................................ 66 Professional................................................................................................................... 67 Familial. ........................................................................................................................ 68 Interacting with the in-group. ........................................................................................... 68 Authenticity of action. ...................................................................................................... 70 Traditional actions and conflict. ................................................................................... 71 Starting a conversation...................................................................................................... 71 Relationship .............................................................................................................................. 72 Caitlyn Jenner ....................................................................................................................... 73 Protect family from harm or emotional hurt....................................................................