Since transgender people do not match or fulfill the gender framework regulated by traditional society, they usually face immense stigma and discrimination from others. This may result in some transgender people concealing and hiding their self-gender identity and cutting off their relations with others, thereby leading to mental health problems. In this vein, how professionals assist transgender people in facing these challenges and adapting to society during the process of self-gender identity development is an important issue that warrants further attention. However, previous studies have indicated that counselors generally have limited understanding of transgender people and their conditions, and hence, usually find it difficult to work with them during the counseling process. For counseling to become a useful resource for transgender people and for counselors to provide a suitable professional service, they need to enhance their understanding of transgender experiences and issues related to the identity development of transgender people.
This study explored the issue of transwomen’s gender identity development. A total of 14 transwomen (average age, 33.14 years, ranging from 27-51 years) participated in the interviews to clarify the development process of transwomen’s gender identity and their relevant experiences. Through analysis, the results of this study revealed that the process of transwomen’s gender identity development consists of five stages: being gender-free, gender oppression, gender obscurity, gender metamorphosis, and gender action. As indicated in the interviews, during the gender-free stage, which occurred during childhood, interviewees and their family members could accept gender disposition, appearance, and performance. Even though some interviewees complained or felt confused about their male genital organs, their family members or relatives usually took no offense at a child’s babble and let nature take its course. During the stage of gender oppression, which occurred during school age, interviewees started feeling oppressed by gender-stereotyped rules and restrictions on the role of gender in society. Some of them also faced problems such as school bullying, discrimination, or being edged out by their peers. Some interviewees adopted strategies, such as seeking help from their peers, being prominent in academic performance, or disguising and hiding their feminine features to cope with these problems. Interviewees usually experienced the stage of being gender obscure in adolescence with the development of sexual desires. Due to the lack of suitable gender (or sex) education, some of them were unable to distinguish the concept of gender identity from gender orientation. Moreover, self-doubts and discrimination from others may affected their mental health. However, they still had deeply hidden desires, and so tried on female clothes in secret. The stage of gender metamorphosis occurred during their university years or at the time of entering the workforce. At this stage, interviewees could mentally and physically distance themselves from their previous experiences of discrimination and oppression. Through engagement in courses, communities, and the initiative on same-sex marriage, interviewees were better able to explore themselves and the transgender issue, have trials on changes in outfits and appearance, and integrate their self-gender identity. The final stage is called “gender action.” Interviewees’ outfits and behaviors were more explicitly female-oriented during this stage, which pushed their sex to be more consistent with their gender life experiences. They may even have had treatments for sex reversal, such as hormone therapy or medical surgery. In other words, they may have tried to accomplish the social or medical transition. Notably, the process of a transgender person’s development of gender identity is not always linear. Transgender people may reexperience certain stages, and differences exist between individuals in terms of the development process. In summary, the results of this study could be a useful reference for counselors to gain a better understanding of issues related to transwomen’s gender identity. This may deepen the quality of counseling services offered to transgender clients and thus construct a gender-friendly counseling environment.
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