Tight Coils: Black Transfemininity, Transhegemony, and Identity Formation in The U.S. South
Kennedy, Vic J.
Citations
Abstract
Often without question, we are tasked with understanding gender as inherently predicated on the assumption of whiteness and understanding that Black trans women and other transfeminine people belong at the bottom of a silent “hierarchy” of sorts. How then do Southern Black transfeminine people form their genders under such tightly coiled restraints? To elucidate these questions’ answers, I interviewed 5 Southern Black trans women and/or Southern Black transfeminine people to discuss the issues facing those that find themselves often spoken about but rarely spoken to. After these interviews, I utilized both my own understanding of Southern Black gender theory as well as the works of Black gender and Africana studies theorists to parse out how hegemonies within Southern trans communities are leading to Black trans women’s alienation and brutalization through narrative analysis. I aim to let these interviewees’ stories act as a catalyzing force for further Black transgender theorization.