Montclair State University Montclair State University Digital Commons Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects 1-2017 The eM aning of Sexual and Gender Identities in Transgender Men William B. Baker Montclair State University Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.montclair.edu/etd Part of the Counseling Commons, and the Educational Leadership Commons Recommended Citation Baker, William B., "The eM aning of Sexual and Gender Identities in Transgender Men" (2017). Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects. 33. https://digitalcommons.montclair.edu/etd/33 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by Montclair State University Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects by an authorized administrator of Montclair State University Digital Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. THE MEANING OF SEXUAL AND GENDER IDENTITIES IN TRANSGENDER MEN A DISSERTATION Submitted to the Faculty of Montclair State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy by WILLIAM B. BAKER Montclair State University Upper Montclair, NJ 2017 Dissertation Chair: Dr. Leslie Kooyman Copyright © 2017 by William B. Baker. All rights reserved. ABSTRACT THE MEANING OF SEXUAL AND GENDER IDENTITIES IN TRANSGENDER MEN by William B. Baker The purpose of this study was to gain an understanding of the complexity of the lived experiences of trans men, how sexual orientation and gender identity play out in the lives of trans men, and how that lived experience changed during transitioning. The research was aimed at finding how sexual orientation and gender identity, usually treated as separate and independent constructs, interconnect with each other. Eight transgender men were interviewed in-depth over a period of several months. Their perspectives gave insight into how sexual and gender identities are related and how one informs the other. The present study showed that fluidity in gender and sexual identities was common among transgender persons. Some trans men were more binary than others with regard to gender, and those trans men tended to share the “being born in the wrong body” narrative. These binary leaning trans man also tended to be more binary in their sexual orientation. Fluidity in gender in pre-transition often reflected fluidity in sexual orientation. Changes in sexual behavior and attractions during transition were also studied. There were some unexpected findings in the present study. Trans men, being raised as women, have interesting perspectives on misogyny and male privilege. Many were reluctant to accept their male status and struggled with the concept of adopting male iv privilege. The present study helps to dispel some of the heteronormative concepts inherent in the current literature on transgender issues. v ACKNOWLEDGEMENT This was a journey only made complete with the invaluable assistance of many people. First, I want to express my sincere gratitude to my dissertation chair, Dr. Leslie Kooyman. We had countless meetings during which I pondered over my data and themes, and Dr. Kooyman was always willing and very able to listen and guide me through the process. This took a great deal of time and commitment, not to mention patience, on his part. I am especially grateful for his support and friendship. Even simple comments such as, “This is really an interesting study,” were invaluable to me and helped keep me on track with my research. Without Dr. Kooyman’s guidance and insight, this dissertation would not have been possible. I especially want to take the time to recognize the support from the rest of my dissertation team: Dr. Jeremy Price, Dr. Gloria Pierce, and Dr. Dana Levitt, for giving me confidence as I began to explore the issue of gender and sexual identities in transgender men. They were consistently critical when needed and continually encouraging to the end. I also owe many thanks to my colleagues, my fellow doctoral peers, especially those who gave me guidance over the months of developing themes for the study. A special thank you must go to my wife, Cassandra, who stood by me through this time and encouraged me to press on. Cassandra knows this work as well as I do, and her perspective kept me to task. It is hard to imagine doing this dissertation without the people mentioned above, and I am grateful to all for their voices and interpretations as I worked to complete this study. I also want to acknowledge the eight trans men who were the participants, to whom I dedicate this dissertation. vi DEDICATION I dedicate this dissertation to the eight trans men who fearlessly opened their hearts and minds to this study. They were willing to express their most intimate experiences with me, a total stranger, and I learned so much from them. They are the true heroes in this work – ones who have to think about their gender identity on almost a daily basis. We in the cisgender world often forget this about these men, and I hope that this study will help shed light on how trans men struggle to find their place in this complex society. vii TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER ONE. INTRODUCTION TO THE STUDY ....................................................... 1 A. Statement of the Problem and Research Question ..................................... 2 B. Purpose of the Study .................................................................................. 9 C. Theoretical Framework for the Study ...................................................... 10 D. Rationale for Qualitative Methodology ................................................... 14 E. Definitions and Terminology ................................................................... 15 CHAPTER TWO: REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE ......................................................... 21 A. Brief History of Transgender Emergence in the United States................ 22 B. Gender Dysphoria in the DSM-5.............................................................. 28 C. Separating the T from LGB ..................................................................... 30 D. Theoretical Framework for the Study ...................................................... 36 E. Transitioning, Loss, and Resilience ......................................................... 46 F. Sexual Orientation ................................................................................... 48 G. Gender Identity ........................................................................................ 55 H. Intersectionality of Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity ................... 58 I. Typologies................................................................................................ 61 J. Masculinity/Femininity ........................................................................... 63 K. Marginality ............................................................................................... 64 L. Quality of Life.......................................................................................... 64 CHAPTER THREE: METHODOLOGY ............................................................................. 69 viii A. Research Question, Sub-Questions, Design of the Study ........................ 69 B. Positionality ............................................................................................. 72 C. Data Collection and Analysis................................................................... 74 D. Credibility and Trustworthiness of the Study .......................................... 83 E. Ethical and Methodological Concerns ..................................................... 86 CHAPTER FOUR: RESULTS .............................................................................................. 89 A. Summary of Participants .......................................................................... 90 B. Table 1: Participants ................................................................................ 95 C. Themes in this Study ................................................................................ 96 D. Theme # 1: Interconnection between Gender and Sexual Identities ........ 97 E. Theme # 2: Trans men struggle with male privilege ............................. 115 F. Theme # 3: Body comfort fosters a sense of well-being ....................... 129 G. Theme # 4: Change in sexual behavior .................................................. 145 CHAPTER FIVE: DISCUSSION ........................................................................................ 163 A. Interpretation of Theme # 1 ................................................................... 164 B. Interpretation of Theme # 2 ................................................................... 176 C. Interpretation of Theme # 3 ................................................................... 181 D. Interpretation of Theme # 4 ................................................................... 193 E. Application of Theory ............................................................................ 198 F. Implications for Counselors ................................................................... 205 G. Limitations of the Study......................................................................... 210 H. Areas for Future Research ..................................................................... 211 ix I. Conclusion ............................................................................................. 214 REFERENCES: ...............................................................................................................