Trans men’s transition process: gender stereotypes, interventions and experiences

Abstract

Objective: To analyze trans men’s perception about the transition process. Method: A qualitative study, developed with transmasculine people from February to March 2024. A questionnaire and semi-structured interviews were used, which were recorded and transcribed, and analyzed by content analysis. The findings were discussed with five principles of institutional analysis, such as instituted, instituting, institutionalization, implication and over-implication. Results: Eighteen people participated in the interviews, and data analysis enabled the construction of four classes: i) Gender stereotypes in the social context; ii) Physical interventions and their contexts; iii) Personal and social experiences and relationships with healthcare professionals; iv) Suffering related to passability. Conclusion: There is no dissociation between social and personal influences in the transition process. They hope that gender-affirming procedures will reduce dysphoria and promote harmony between self-perception and hetero-perception. The acquired passability can strengthen the ability to deal with violence. Furthermore, a broad and solid support network can favor the search for these transitions, facilitating dialogue on gender issues.