Expressing identity: toward an understanding of how trans individuals navigate the barriers and opportunities of official identity

Abstract

ABSTRACTThis paper will explore the ways in which trans individuals navigate the barriers and loopholes presented by the challenges of having their identities recognized in an official capacity. This will be accomplished by examining a selection of trans narratives in order to better understand the strategies employed by these individuals to find some congruence, or not, between their own identities and those permitted under an official system that still often only recognizes males and females. The case of official surveys will further demonstrate the means by which trans individuals find ways to express their self-identity within the limited confines of official options. The implications of this research are to improve our understanding of the limitations of official identities and the ways in which those who fall outside their often limited options navigate a system that, arguably to a large degree, still does not acknowledge their existence.