Complicating Normal: How Trans People Simultaneously Challenge and Reproduce Heteronormativity

This thesis examines the interactions between trans people and structural heteronormativity. Twenty-five in-depth interviews were conducted with self-identified trans people to assess how interviewees feel they've been affected by structural heteronormativity across the institutions of marriage, family, healthcare, education, and work. Interview questions further examined whether interviewees feel they challenge or reproduce structural heteronormativity. Analytic induction was used to analyze the interview data. Results demonstrate that all interviewees identify that they challenge structural heteronormativity and slightly more than half of interviewees identify that they reproduce structural heteronormativity. However, further analysis of the data suggests that some interviewees may challenge or reproduce heteronormativity at an individual level and had no effect or sometimes the opposite effect at the structural level. These findings were highly dependent on whether interviewees identify themselves as out or stealth as a trans person.