Transitioning together: Narratives of sexuality and intimacy by partners of trans people

Abstract

Research into trans people’s sexuality is growing, yet research into the sexuality of cisgender partners, in the context of their partners’ transition, is sparse. This project presents an in-depth narrative analysis of six cisgender women partnered with trans and non-binary identified individuals. The participants ranged between 35 and 71 years old, were all UK residents and held a range of sexual identities. The findings are presented through the collective narratives the participants told. The main story plot that emerged was ‘the quest to stay together’ which is told through sub plots of identity, the body and invisibility. The analysis includes the ways in which narrators drew on, and/or challenged, social discourses of gender and sexuality and also performative aspects of identity. Clinical implications include the importance of therapists enquiring about what a sexual identity means for the individual and the value of addressing the topics of loss and invisibility in therapeutic work with this client group.