Brotherhood and sexism as manhood acts for trans men in the Southeastern United States

Abstract While several studies have explored manhood acts and compensatory manhood acts in cisgender men, few have examined them in the trans community. This research fills gaps in the literature by examining an understudied population in the Southeastern United States, an area of the country where queer lives are often ignored. Additionally, it allows for the continued separation of masculinities from only those bodies assigned male at birth. Using 51 interviews with trans men, we examine the experiences of trans men in the South and the manhood acts they employ to enhance their claims to masculinities and to compensate for their presumed lack of biological maleness. By becoming a member of a brotherhood and participating in sexism, some of the participants in this study are able to bolster their claims to manhood.