Cisnormative Empathy

A Critical Examination of Love, Support, and Compassion for Transgender People by their Loved Ones

Bibliographic Data

ID2291986
AuthorsA D Kelley (0000-0002-3793-8452, University of Michigan, corresponding author)
Year2021
Volume91
Issue3
Pages625-646
Publication date2021-08-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueSociological Inquiry (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0038-0245 • E-ISSN: 1475-682X
PublisherWiley (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1111/soin.12390
OpenAlexW3083302302
LanguageEN
Citations received5
References cited54

Supportive family members appear to be an important source of compassion and allyship for their transgender loved ones, and yet there is little research on the family members themselves. With growing recognition, researchers are increasingly focusing on these perspectives, yet there remains a dearth of literature that incorporates the perspectives of people with transgender parents. In this paper, I use 20 in-depth, semi-structured interviews to assess the empathetic self-constructions of participants as they describe their love and support for their transgender parent, while examining potential dangers of support that is underpinned by traditional norms related to gender, sexuality, and family. I introducecisnormative empathyto identify this phenomenon, acknowledging the importance of empathy as a precursor to support and acceptance, while exploring how empathetic self-constructions combined with actions underpinned by cisnormativity may be counterproductive to the needs of transgender loved ones and the transgender community as a whole. I suggest that additional supports for transgender people's loved ones are needed to help explore complicated emotions while also challenging cisnormative ideologies

Compassion · Empathy · Human sexuality · Ideology · Political science · Politics · Psychoanalysis · Sociology · Transgender · Transgender people · Attachment and Relationship Dynamics · Gender Studies · LGBTQ Health, Identity, and Policy · Marriage and Sexual Relationships · Psychology · Social Psychology

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