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“Contrary to All the Other Shit I’ve Said”: Trans Men Passing in the South

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Abstract

This article examines the influence of geographic location on trans men’s desire to pass in the southeastern United States. Through 51 in-depth interviews with trans men, I find three key reasons for passing in the South: 1) self-confidence and psychological health; 2) the privileges of being a man; and 3) safety and fear of violence. These motives for passing are amplified in the South, where transphobic and homophobic incidences of discrimination and fear are elevated. The trans men in this study linked their increased desire to pass in the South to conservative religion, racism, and increased fear of violence. Although passing was important for all but one respondent, some of the men also discussed problems with the concept of passing and the negative consequences of passing as cis men.

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Notes

  1. Queer refers to individuals and a community who identify with non-normative genders and sexualities. All of the respondents in this study do not claim this identity, rather this is a broad category of analysis.

  2. Sexual attraction to more than one gender or regardless of gender, including, but not limited to, pansexual, bisexual, queer, etc.

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Acknowledgements

I would like to thank Georgia Southern University for the generous Research Start-Up Funds and the Scholarly Pursuit Award for data collection and the writing of this article. I would also like to thank Sarah Rogers and the editors and anonymous reviewers at Qualitative Sociology for their feedback that helped to strengthen this manuscript.

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  1. Georgia Southern University, PO Box 8051, Statesboro, GA, 30460, USA

    Baker A. Rogers

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Correspondence to Baker A. Rogers.

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Rogers, B.A. “Contrary to All the Other Shit I’ve Said”: Trans Men Passing in the South. Qual Sociol 42, 639–662 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11133-019-09436-w

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