“My Existence is Queer”

Understanding Trans and Nonbinary College Students’ Sexual Identities

Bibliographic Data

ID24230694
AuthorsLauren A Fowler (0000-0002-9240-7267, University of South Carolina), Melissa M Vázquez (0000-0002-4651-7561, Department of Psychiatry, University of Illinois College of Medicine at Chicago), Catherine S J Wall (0000-0003-4066-1287, Department of Psychiatry, University of Illinois College of Medicine at Chicago), Aliza A Kleinberg (Brown School of Social Work, Washington University in St. Louis), Lawrence T Monocello (Texas A&M University), H Walker Ferry (University of Alabama at Birmingham), Hannah S Szlyk (0000-0001-7337-8475, Washington University School of Medicine), Ellen E Fitzsimmons-Craft (0000-0001-7064-3835, Washington University School of Medicine), Michelle G Newman (University of Pennsylvania), Daniel Eisenberg (0000-0002-1320-5502, University of California, Los Angeles), C Barr Taylor (0000-0002-4564-6548, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine), Denise E Wilfley (0000-0002-3599-8689, Washington University School of Medicine)
Year2026
Pages1-33
Publication date2026-10-10
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueJournal of Bisexuality (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1529-9716 • E-ISSN: 1529-9724
PublisherInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/15299716.2026.2741590
OpenAlexW7221328052
LanguageEN
References cited47

Scientific practices surrounding sexual identity are largely based upon cisheteronormative assumptions, using terms that may not resonate with − or may exclude − trans and nonbinary (TNB) individuals and their experiences. This exploratory study examined how TNB college students labeled and described their sexual identities. 212 TNB students (mean age = 20.1 ± 2.4, 68.4% White, 66.5% nonbinary) responded to an open-ended question asking them to list their sexual identities and describe what each identifier meant to them. Reflexive thematic analysis identified six themes: sexual identities were context-dependent, ambiguous or fluid, connected to communities, approached cisheteronormative assumptions in different ways, intertwined with gender identity, and prioritized alternative forms of attraction and connection. Findings extend bisexuality scholarship by showing how TNB young adults navigate cisheteronormative and binary assumptions underlying sexual identity labels through inclusive interpretations, using multiple and/or highly descriptive labels to describe different dimensions of sexuality, or using ambiguous, flexible, or all-encompassing labels.

Bisexuality · cisheteronormativity · fluid sexuality · Gender identity · inclusive language · Sexual identity · sexual identity labels · university students · Young adults · Gender and Feminist Studies · Gender, Sexuality, and Education · LGBTQ Health, Identity, and Policy

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