Resisting Trans Medicalization: Body Satisfaction and Social Contextual Factors as Predictors of Sexual Experiences among Trans Feminine and Nonbinary Individuals

A critical review of sociological research on sexual pleasure

“…Risk receives greater attention when considering populations already deemed “at risk,” such as adolescents (Canan & Jozkowski, 2017; Pearson, 2018; Saliares et al., 2017); gay men and other men who have sex with men (MSM) (Hoppe, 2011); or sex workers (Jones, 2016). In this approach, the benefit of pleasure is its ability to protect individuals from both physical and psychological risks, such as individuals undergoing gender transition (Goldbach et al., 2023) and cisgender women as part of fighting sexism, managing fertility, and preventing sexual assault (Haus & Thompson, 2020; Kimport & Littlejohn, 2021; Miller, 2021; Waling, 2023). The intensity of the focus on risk suggests how inseparable it is from any broader understanding of sexuality—because of course, these dangers do exist—and how entrenched an anti‐risk message is in sexuality discourse.…”

“Rediscovering what I need to do to give myself pleasure.” Trans women’s experiences of their sexualities during gender transition: An interpretative phenomenological analysis.

“…The design of the study and conduct of the study from inception followed guidelines by on the ethical recruitment of and collaboration with trans people, which include the following categories: know your history, be transparent, study language carefully, consider feminist methodological contributions, address intersectionality, and be respectful of spaces. The participant sample consisted of a nonclinical community sample to not limit findings to medical-based framings, which is in line with recommendations from recent literature (Goldbach et al, 2023). The research team held a critical realist epistemological position, which denoted a view that concepts exist in the world but that one's own subjectivity and positionality will shape understanding of such concepts and therefore influence any approach to understanding them (Willig & Stainton Rogers, 2017).…”

“…Goldbach et al (2023) argue that the sexual experiences of trans women have predominantly been constructed through a medical and cisgenderist perspective, leading to an overwhelming focus on medical transition. Such understandings have been used to explain trans women’s sexual dysfunctions, contributing to the continued medicalization of trans bodies (Vipond, 2015) and the neglect of the social contexts in which sexual experiences, and sexuality more broadly, are experienced.…”

“…Additionally, trans misogyny can function to restrict trans women's experiences through maintaining social systems of power, such as cissexism and transphobia that marginalize trans people, which may help explain why trans women experience higher rates of mental health disparities and sexual health difficulties (Arayasirikul & Wilson, 2019). Goldbach et al (2023) argue that the sexual experiences of trans women have predominantly been constructed through a medical and cisgenderist perspective, leading to an overwhelming focus on medical transition. Such understandings have been used to explain trans women's sexual dysfunctions, contributing to the continued medicalization of trans bodies (Vipond, 2015) and the neglect of the social contexts in which sexual experiences, and sexuality more broadly, are experienced.…”

A Study on Socio-Economic Problems Faced by the Transgender: The Evidence from Dera Ghazi Khan, Pakistan

“…For example, a male person lives like a female, or a female lives like a male. However, a person is not a transgender who typically behaves like a male or female (Goldbach et al, 2022;Paechter, 2006;Solbes-Canales et al, 2020).…”