Masculinity performed by transgender men: qualitative evidence and metasynthesis

Authors

  • Leticia Carolina BOFFI Universidade de São Paulo, Faculdade de Filosofia, Ciências e Letras de Ribeirão Preto, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Psicologia https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9198-8963
  • Elaine Campos GUIJARRO-RODRIGUES Universidade de São Paulo, Faculdade de Filosofia, Ciências e Letras de Ribeirão Preto, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Psicologia https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3593-7007
  • Manoel Antônio dos SANTOS Universidade de São Paulo, Faculdade de Filosofia, Ciências e Letras de Ribeirão Preto, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Psicologia https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8214-7767

Keywords:

Gender identity, Masculinity, Transgender persons, Transsexuality

Abstract

  Masculinity is a construct associated with cisgender men; however, transgender men also perform masculinities. This study aimed to synthesize, analyze, and reinterpret the findings of primary qualitative studies about transgender men’s experience of masculinity. The research question developed through the SPIDER strategy was: What is the qualitative evidence of masculinity performed by transgender men? Eighteen studies involving over 200 transgender men between the ages of 19 and 65 were selected. Three descriptive themes emerged: “Bodily performance of masculinity,” “Social performances of masculinity,” and “Sexualities.” Analytical themes were generated: “The appearance of masculinity” and “Far beyond appearance”. The results point to complementary experiences of masculinity: concerning physical appearance and body modifications; and the practices contesting the hegemonic masculinity standard. The experience of masculinities is outlined by body changes, culminating in the passability and social recognition of the transgender man.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

Almeida, G. (2012). “Homens trans”: Novos matizes na aquarela das masculinidades? Revista Estudos Feministas, 20(2), 513-523. https://www.scielo.br/pdf/ref/v20n2/v20n2a12

Armuand, G., Dhejne, C., Olofsson, J. I., & Rodriguez-Wallberg, K. A. (2017). Transgender men’s experiences of fertility preservation: a qualitative study. Human Reproduction, 32(2), 383-390. https://doi.org/10.1093/humrep/dew323

Azul, D. (2016). Gender-related aspects of transmasculine people’s vocal situations: Insights from a qualitative content analysis of interview transcripts. Journal of Language & Communication Disorders, 51(6), 672-684. https://doi. org/10.1111/1460-6984.12239

Baptista-Silva, G., Hamann, C., & Pizzinato, A. (2017). Casamento no cárcere: Agenciamentos identitários e conjugais em uma galeria LGBT. Paidéia (Ribeirão Preto), 27(1), 376-385. https://doi.org/10.1590/1982-432727s1201702

Bento, B. (2012). Sexualidade e experiências trans: do hospital à alcova. Ciência & Saúde Coletiva, 17(10), 2655-2664. https://www.scielosp.org/pdf/csc/2012.v17n10/2655-2664/pt

Brown, C., Maragos, A., Lee, R., Davidson, B., & Dashjian, L. T. (2016). Female to male transsexuals: giving voice to their experience. Journal of LGBT Issues in Counseling, 10(1), 16-39. https://doi.org/10.1080/15538605.2015.1138098

Budge, S. L., Orovecz, J. J., & Thai, J. L. (2015). Trans men’s positive emotions: the interaction of gender identity and emotion labels. The Counseling Psychologist, 43(3), 404-434. https://doi.org/10.1177/0011000014565715

Butler, J. (2018). Problemas de gênero: feminismo e subversão da identidade (R. Aguiar, Trans.; 16th ed.). Civilização Brasileira. (Original work published 1990).

Connell, R. W., & Messerschmidt, J. W. (2013). Masculinidade hegemônica: Repensando o conceito. Revista Estudos Feministas, 21(1), 241-282. https://www.scielo.br/pdf/ref/v21n1/14.pdf

Critical Appraisal Skills Program (2018). CASP (insert name of checklist i.e. Qualitative) Checklist. CASP UK. https://casp-uk.net/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/CASP-Qualitative-Checklist-2018_fillable_form.pdf

Cunha, J. F. S. N. (2019). Nem só de hormônio vive o homem: representações e resistências de homens transexuais (1984-2018). ACENO: Revista de Antropologia do Centro-Oeste, 6(12), 95-112. https://periodicoscientificos.ufmt.br/ ojs/index.php/aceno/article/view/8537

Formiga, N. S., & Camino, L. (2001). A Dimensão do Inventário de Papeis Sexuais (BSRI): a masculinidade e feminilidade em universitários. Estudos de Psicologia (Campinas), 18(2), 41-49. https://doi.org/10.1590/S0103-166X2001000200004

Gatos, K. C. (2018). A literature review of cervical cancer screening in transgender men. Nursing for Women’s Health, 22(1), 52-62. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nwh.2017.12.008

González-González, D., Mahtani-Chugani, V., Báez-Quintana, D., & Fernández-Sanchez-Barbudo, M. (2018). La transexualidad y el proceso de reasignación sexual desde la perspectiva de los varones transexuales: un enfoque cualitativo. Revista Internacional de Andrología, 16(2), 59-66. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.androl.2017.02.003

Halberstam, J. (1998). Female Masculinity. Duke University Press.

Hoffkling, A., Obedin-Maliver, J., & Sevelius, J. (2017). From erasure to opportunity: a qualitative study of the experiences of transgender men around pregnancy and recommendations for providers. BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth, 17(2), 332-352. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12884-017-1491-5

Johnson, M., Wakefield, C., & Garthe, K. (2020). Qualitative socioecological factors of cervical cancer screening use among transgender men. Preventive Medicine Reports, 17, e101052. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pmedr.2020.101052

Klein, A., Krane, V., & Paule-Koba, A. L. (2018). Bodily changes and performance effects in a transitioning transgender college athlete. Qualitative Research in Sport, Exercise and Health, 10(5), 555-569. https://doi.org/10.1080/215967 6X.2018.1466721

Klein, A., Paule-Koba, A. L., & Krane, V. (2019). The journey of transitioning: being a trans male athlete in college sport. Sport Management Review, 22(5), 626-639. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.smr.2018.09.006

MacDonald, T., Noel-Weiss, J., West, D., Walks, M., Biener, M., Kibbe, A., & Myler, E. (2016). Transmasculine individuals’ experiences with lactation, chestfeeding, and gender identity: a qualitative study. BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth, 16(1), 1-17. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12884-016-0907-y

Martin, T. K., & Coolhart, D. (2019). “Because your dysphoria gets in the way of you… it affects everything”: the mental, physical, and relational aspects of navigating body dysphoria and sex for trans masculine people. Sexual and Relationship Therapy, 37(1), 82-99. https://doi.org/10.1080/14681994.2019.1696459

Martínez-Guzmán, A., & Íñiguez-Rueda, L. (2017). Prácticas discursivas y violencia simbólica hacia la comunidad LGBT en espacios universitarios. Paidéia, 27(Suppl. 1), 367-375. https://doi.org/10.1590/1982-432727s1201701

Martins, A. M., & Nascimento, A. R. A. (2020). Imagem corporal masculina: revisão integrativa da produção científica latino-americana (2005-2019). Motrivivência, 32(63), 1-23. https://doi.org/10.5007/2175-8042.2020e72330

Methley, A. M., Campbell, S., Chew-Graham, C., McNally, R., & Cheraghi-Sohi, S. (2014). PICO, PICOS and SPIDER: a comparison study of specificity and sensitivity in three search tools for qualitative systematic reviews. BMC Health Services Research, 14(1), 579-589. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12913-014-0579-0

Moher, D., Liberati, A., Tetzlaff, J., Altman, D. G., & Prisma Group. (2009). Preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses: The PRISMA statement. Plos Medicine, 6(7), e1000097. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal. pmed.1000097

Ouzzani, M., Hammady, H., Fedorowicz, Z., & Elmagarmid, A. (2016). Rayyan-a web and mobile app for systematic reviews. Systematic Reviews, 5, 210-220. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13643-016-0384-4

Peitzmeier, S. M., Agénor, M., Bernstein, I. M., McDowell, M., Alizaga, N. M., Reisner, S. L., Pardee, D. J., & Potter, J. (2017). “It can promote an existential crisis”: Factors influencing Pap test acceptability and utilization among transmasculine individuals. Qualitative Health Research, 27(14), 2138-2149. https://doi.org/10.1177/10497323177255

Ramos-Pibernus, A. G., Rodríguez-Madera, S. L., Padilla, M., Varas-Díaz, N., & Vargas Molina, R. (2016). Intersections and evolution of ‘Butch-trans’ categories in Puerto Rico: needs and barriers of an invisible population. Global Public Health, 11(7-8), 966-980. https://doi.org/10.1080/17441692.2016.1180703

Safavifar, F., Eftekhar, M., Alavi, K., Negarandeh, R., Jalali, A. H., & Eftekhar, M. (2016). Religious experiences of Iranian transgenders: a qualitative study. Medical Journal of the Islamic Republic of Iran, 30, 385-393. https://www.ncbi.nlm. nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4972060/pdf/mjiri-30-385.pdf

Sandelowski, M., & Barroso, J. (2003). Classifying the findings in qualitative studies. Qualitative Health Research, 13(7), 905-923. https://doi.org/10.1177/1049732303253488

Sandelowski, M., & Barroso, J. (2006). Handbook for synthesizing qualitative research. Springer.

Santos, M. A., Souza, R. S., Lara, L. A. S., Risk, E. N., Oliveira, W. A., Alexandre, V., & Oliveira-Cardoso, E. A. (2019). Transexualidade, ordem médica e política de saúde: controle normativo do processo transexualizador no Brasil. Estudos Interdisciplinares em Psicologia, 10(1), 3-19. https://doi.org/10.5433/2236-6407

Sbragia, J. D., & Vottero, B. (2019). Experiences of transgender men in seeking gynecological and reproductive health care: a qualitative systematic review protocol. JBI Database of Systematic Reviews and Implementation Reports, 17(8), 1582-1588. https://doi.org/10.11124/jbisrir-2017-004029

Soares, M., Feijó, M. R., Valério, N. I., Siquieri, C. L. S. M., & Pinto, M. J. C. (2011). O apoio da rede social a transexuais femininas. Paidéia, 21(48), 83-92. https://doi.org/10.1590/S0103-863X2011000100010

Sousa, D., & Iriart, J. (2018). “Viver dignamente”: necessidades e demandas de saúde de homens trans em Salvador, Bahia, Brasil. Cadernos de Saúde Pública, 34, e00036318. https://doi.org/10.1590/0102-311X00036318

Stephenson, R., Riley, E., Rogers, E., Suarez, N., Metheny, N., Senda, J., Saylor, K. M., & Bauermeister, J. A. (2017). The sexual health of transgender men: a scoping review. The Journal of Sex Research, 54(4-5), 424-445. https://doi.org/ 10.1080/00224499.2016.1271863

Thomas, J., & Harden, A. (2008). Methods for the thematic synthesis of qualitative research in systematic reviews. BMC Medical Research Methodology, 8(1), 45-55. https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2288-8-45

Tong, A., Flemming, K., McInnes, E., Oliver, S., & Craig, J. (2012). Enhancing transparency in reporting the synthesis of qualitative research: ENTREQ. BMC Medical Research Methodology, 12(1), 181-189. http://www.biomedcentral. com/1471-2288/12/181

Tree-McGrath, C. A. F., Puckett, J. A., Reisner, S. L., & Pantalone, D. W. (2018). Sexuality and gender affirmation in transgender men who have sex with cisgender men. International Journal of Transgenderism, 19(4), 389-400. https:// doi.org/10.1080/15532739.2018.1463584

Viera, A. J., & Garrett, J. M. (2005). Understanding interobserver agreement: the kappa statistic. Family Medicine, 37(5), 360-363. http://www1.cs.columbia.edu/~julia/courses/CS6998/Interrater_agreement.Kappa_statistic.pdf

Williams, C. J., Weinberg, M. S., & Rosenberger, J. G. (2013). Trans men: embodiments, identities, and sexualities. Sociological Forum, 28(4), 719-741. https://doi.org/10.1111/socf.12056

Downloads

Published

2023-01-20

How to Cite

BOFFI, L. C., GUIJARRO-RODRIGUES, E. C., & SANTOS, M. A. dos. (2023). Masculinity performed by transgender men: qualitative evidence and metasynthesis. Psychological Studies, 39. Retrieved from https://seer.sis.puc-campinas.edu.br/estpsi/article/view/7272

Issue

Vol. 39 (2022): Estudos de Psicologia (Campinas)

Section

HEALTH PSYCHOLOGY

License

Copyright (c) 2023 Leticia Carolina BOFFI, Elaine Campos GUIJARRO-RODRIGUES, Manoel Antônio dos SANTOS

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.