Centre for Sexuality and Health Research and Policy (C-SHaRP), Chennai, India.
The Humsafar Trust, Mumbai, India.
Cult Health Sex. 2022 Jul;24(7):951-967. doi: 10.1080/13691058.2021.1901991. Epub 2021 Apr 13.
Research on transmasculine people's health is scant globally, including in India. We explored transmasculine people's experiences in affirming their gender in family and social spaces, and how those experiences impact mental health. In 2019, we conducted four focus groups ( = 17 participants) and 10 in-depth interviews with transmasculine people in Mumbai and Chennai. Data analyses were guided by minority stress theory and the gender affirmation model. Within family, the pressure to conform to assigned gender roles and gender policing usually began in adolescence and increased over time. Some participants left parental homes due to violence. In educational settings, participants described the enforcement of gender-normative dress codes, lack of faculty support, and bullying victimisation, which led some to quit schooling. In the workplace, experiences varied depending on whether participants were visibly trans or had an incongruence between their identity documents and gender identity. Everyday discrimination experiences in diverse settings contributed to psychological distress. Amidst these challenges, participants reported resilience strategies, including self-acceptance, connecting with peers, strategic (non)disclosure, and circumventing gendered restrictions on dress and behaviour. Interventions at social-structural, institutional, family and individual levels are needed to reduce stigma and discrimination faced by transmasculine people in India and to promote their mental health.
全球范围内针对跨性别男性人群健康的研究都很少，包括在印度。我们探索了跨性别男性在家庭和社会空间中确认自身性别认同的经历，以及这些经历如何影响心理健康。2019 年，我们在孟买和钦奈进行了四项焦点小组（=17 名参与者）和十项深入访谈。数据分析的指导理论是少数群体应激理论和性别肯定模型。在家庭中，符合分配性别角色和性别监管的压力通常始于青春期，并随着时间的推移而增加。一些参与者因暴力而离开父母的家。在教育环境中，参与者描述了执行性别规范着装要求、缺乏教师支持和欺凌受害者的情况，这导致一些人辍学。在工作场所，参与者的经历因是否明显跨性别以及身份证上的性别身份与实际性别之间的不一致而有所不同。在不同的环境中经历日常歧视会导致心理困扰。在这些挑战中，参与者报告了一些应对策略，包括自我接受、与同伴建立联系、策略性的（非）公开和规避着装和行为上的性别限制。需要在社会结构、制度、家庭和个人层面采取干预措施，以减少印度跨性别男性所面临的污名和歧视，促进他们的心理健康。
