Pearce, R., Pfeffer, C., Riggs, D., White, F.R. and Hines, S. 2024. Trans Birth Parents’ Experiences of Domestic Violence Conditional Affirmation, Cisgenderist Coercion, and the Transformative Potential of Perinatal Care. Bulletin of Applied Transgender Studies. 3 (1-2), pp. 45-68. https://doi.org/10.57814/nkc8-tc97
| Title | Trans Birth Parents’ Experiences of Domestic Violence Conditional Affirmation, Cisgenderist Coercion, and the Transformative Potential of Perinatal Care |
|---|---|
| Type | Journal article |
| Authors | Pearce, R., Pfeffer, C., Riggs, D., White, F.R. and Hines, S. |
| Abstract | Transgender people face disproportionately high rates of violence, including domestic violence. Like cisgender survivors, trans survivors typically report a pattern of coercion and control on the part of abusers. Drawing on the findings of an international qualitative study with trans parents who have conceived and carried their own children (i.e. trans birth parents), this article describes power and control tactics experienced by survivors, and how these may depart from the “public story” of domestic violence. The article reports on two thematic contexts of coercion and control that are particularly relevant for this population. First, conditional affirmation is a form of identity-related abuse that can be utilised by abusers to gain and maintain access to vulnerable individuals who may otherwise feel they have no other access to gender affirmation in their lives. Secondly, abusers may use pregnancy as a site of cisgenderist coercion, in which trans birth parents are deprived of autonomy through being socially and interpersonally feminized and ascribed into womanhood in the context of pregnancy. We then discuss how perinatal care can function as a site of heightened risk or mitigation for the impact of these forms of violence. The article concludes with recommendations for practitioners in healthcare, education, and domestic violence services, emphasising the importance of gender affirmation, trauma-informed services, and training around what domestic violence looks like for trans people. |
| Keywords | transgender |
| domestic violence | |
| pregnancy | |
| Journal | Bulletin of Applied Transgender Studies |
| Journal citation | 3 (1-2), pp. 45-68 |
| ISSN | 2769-2124 |
| Year | 2024 |
| Publisher | Northwestern University Libraries |
| Publisher's version | License CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 File Access Level Open (open metadata and files) |
| Digital Object Identifier (DOI) | https://doi.org/10.57814/nkc8-tc97 |
| Web address (URL) | https://bulletin.appliedtransstudies.org/article/3/1-2/3/ |
| Publication dates | |
| Published | 28 Jun 2024 |
| Funder | ESRC |