Sage Journals: Discover world-class research

Abstract

Rooted in sexual script and gender minority stress and resilience (GMSR) theories, the present study investigated how a nationally recruited sample of 169 transgender and gender diverse (TGD) undergraduates perceived a typical sexual encounter involving a TGD undergraduate (i.e., their sexual scripts), as well as the extent to which various forms of distal stress, proximal stress, and resilience factors were embedded within and affected these scripts. Using thematic analysis, 12 themes were identified within three overarching categories: types of sexual/romantic relationships, gender minority stress experiences, and resilience factors. TGD undergraduates’ scripts in some ways mirrored those of their heterosexual and cisgender peers (i.e., enacting gendered roles in sex initiation, differing emotional responses following sex by gender identity), but scripts also differed in many notable ways. In their scripts, TGD students frequently described how distal (i.e., enacted stigma, trauma history) and proximal (i.e., gender dysphoria, self-stigma) stressors affected the sexual experiences of TGD undergraduates. However, resilience themes such as open communication and discussing one's gender identity were also commonly included and presented as providing protection against minority stress. Results demonstrate how GMSR experiences inform TGD undergraduates’ sexual scripts and suggest several critical potential points of intervention for this population. Online slides for instructors who want to use this article for teaching are available on PWQ's website at http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/suppl/10.1177/03616843231218699.

Keywords

transgender nonbinary sexual scripts gender minority stress resilience college students

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

American College Health Association. (2016). National college health assessment II: Fall 2016 reference group data report. https://www.acha.org/documents/ncha/NCHA-II_FALL_2016_REFERENCE_GROUP_DATA_REPORT.pdf

American College Health Association. (2022). National college health assessment III: Spring 2022 reference group executive summary. https://www.acha.org/documents/ncha/NCHA-III_SPRING_2022_REFERENCE_GROUP_EXECUTIVE_SUMMARY.pdf

Auslander

B. A.

Rosenthal

S. L.

(2009). Intimate romantic relationships in young adulthood: A biodevelopmental perspective. In Grant

J. E.

Potenza

M. N.

(Eds.), Young adult mental health (pp. 158–168). Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/med:psych/9780195332711.003.0010

Barr

S. M.

Snyder

K. E.

Adelson

J. L.

Budge

S. L.

(2021). Posttraumatic stress in the trans community: The roles of anti-transgender bias, non-affirmation, and internalized transphobia. Psychology of Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity, 9(4), 410–421. https://doi.org/10.1037/sgd0000500

Braun

Clarke

(2006). Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3(2), 77–101. https://doi.org/10.1191/1478088706qp063oa

Brown

Rider

G. N.

Sieving

R. E.

McMorris

B. J.

Eisenberg

M. E.

Porta

C. M.

(2021). My parents may influence my feelings about it but that’s also something that I can change myself: Transgender and gender diverse youth perspectives on parental messages about sexuality. Journal of GLBT Family Studies, 17(5), 501–515. https://doi.org/10.1080/1550428X.2021.1955233

Catelan

R. F.

Saadeh

Lobato

M. I. R.

Gagliotti

D. A. M.

Costa

A. B.

(2021). Condom-protected sex and minority stress: Associations with condom negotiation self- efficacy, “passing” concerns, and experiences with misgendering among transgender men and women in Brazil. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(9), 4850. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18094850

de Heer

Brown

Cheney

(2021). Sexual consent and communication among the sexual minoritized: The role of heteronormative sex education, trauma, and dual identities. Feminist Criminology, 16(5), 701–721. https://doi.org/ 15570851211034560

Dolezal

M. L.

Decker

Higgins

Littleton

(2023). Evaluation of the gender minority stress model in transgender and gender diverse college students. Psychology of Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity. https://doi.org/10.1037/sgd0000669

10.

Edwards

K. E.

Gardella

Farquhar-Leicester

Littleton

Wheeler

Spitz

Neighbors

(2022). Measuring SOGIE within the context of teen dating violence research with sexual and gender minority youth: A quantitative examination and commentary. Paper presented at the American Society of Criminology conference, Chicago, IL.

11.

Ford

J. V.

(2021). Unwanted sex on campus: The overlooked role of interactional pressures and gendered sexual scripts. Qualitative Sociology, 44(1), 31–53. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11133-020-09469-6

12.

Fournier

L. F.

Pathak

Hoffmann

A. M.

Verona

(2022). A comparison of sexual minority and heterosexual college students on gendered sexual scripts and sexual coercion perpetration. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 38(7-8), https://doi.org/10.1177/08862605221130389

13.

Fox Tree-McGrath

C. A.

Puckett

J. A.

Reisner

S. L.

Pantalone

D. W.

(2018). Sexuality and gender affirmation in transgender men who have sex with cisgender men. International Journal of Transgenderism, 19(4), 389–400. https://doi.org/10.1080/15532739.2018.1463584

14.

Gabb

(2022). The relationship work of sexual intimacy in long-term heterosexual and LGBTQ partnerships. Current Sociology, 70(1), 24–41. https://doi.org/ 0011392119826619

15.

Hobaica

Schofield

Kwon

(2019). Here’s your anatomy … good luck: Transgender individuals in cisnormative sex education. American Journal of Sexuality Education, 14(3), 358–387. https://doi.org/10.1080/15546128.2019.1585308

16.

James

S. E.

Herman

J. L.

Rankin

Keisling

Mottet

Anafi

(2016). Executive summary of the report of the 2015 U.S. Transgender Survey. National Center for Transgender Equality.

17.

Lamont

Roach

Kahn

(2018). Navigating campus hookup culture: LGBTQ students and college hookups. Sociological Forum, 33(4), 1000–1022. https://doi.org/10.1111/socf.12458

18.

Lange

A. C.

(2022). Transgender college students’ identity exploration processes. Journal of College Student Development, 63(4), 351–367. https://doi.org/10.1353/csd.2022.0031

19.

Levitt

H. M.

Ippolito

M. R.

(2014). Being transgender: The experience of transgender identity development. Journal of Homosexuality, 61(12), 1727–1758. https://doi.org/10.1080/00918369.2014.951262

20.

Lindley

Galupo

M. P.

(2020). Gender dysphoria and minority stress: Support for inclusion of gender dysphoria as a proximal stressor. Psychology of Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity, 7(3), 265–275. https://doi.org/10.1037/sgd0000439

21.

Littleton

Tabernik

Canales

E. J.

Backstrom

(2009). Risky situation or harmless fun? A qualitative examination of college women’s bad hook-up and rape scripts. Sex Roles, 60(11), 793–804. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11199-009-9586-8

22.

Littleton

H. L.

Axsom

(2003). Rape and seduction scripts of university students: Implications for rape attributions and unacknowledged rape. Sex Roles, 49(9-10), 465–475. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1025824505185

23.

Mallory

A. B.

(2022). Dimensions of couples’ sexual communication, relationship satisfaction, and sexual satisfaction: A meta-analysis. Journal of Family Psychology, 36(3), 358–371. https://doi.org/10.1037/fam0000946

24.

May

Johnston

K. L.

(2022). Ego-centered and partner/activity-focused sexual satisfaction: The role of self-esteem and sexual assertiveness in cisgender heterosexual women. Sex Roles, 86(3-4), 179–188. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11199-021-01258-x

25.

Meston

C. M.

Rellini

A. H.

Heiman

J. R.

(2006). Women's history of sexual abuse, their sexuality, and sexual self-schemas. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 74(2), 229–236. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-006X.74.2.229

26.

Nikkelen

S. W.

Kreukels

B. P.

(2018). Sexual experiences in transgender people: The role of desire for gender-confirming interventions, psychological well-being, and body satisfaction. Journal of Sex & Marital Therapy, 44(4), 370–381. https://doi.org/ 10.1080/0092623X.2017.1405303

27.

Owen

Fincham

F. D.

(2011). Young adults’ emotional reactions after hooking up encounters. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 40, 321–330. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10508-010-9652-x

28.

Paul

E. L.

Hayes

K. A.

(2002). The casualties of “casual” sex: A qualitative exploration of the phenomenology of college students’ hookups. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 19(5), 639–661. https://doi.org/10.1177/0265407502195006

29.

Pham

J. M.

(2017). Beyond hookup culture: Current trends in the study of college student sex and where to next. Sociology Compass, 11(8), e12499. https://doi.org/10.1111/soc4.12499

30.

Piemonte

J. L.

Conley

T. D.

Gusakova

(2019). Orgasm, gender, and responses to heterosexual casual sex. Personality and Individual Differences, 151, 109487. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2019.06.030

31.

Sakaluk

J. K.

Todd

L. M.

Milhausen

Lachowsky

N. J.

, & Undergraduate Research Group in Sexuality (URGiS) (2014). Dominant heterosexual sexual scripts in emerging adulthood: Conceptualization and measurement. The Journal of Sex Research, 51(5), 516–531. https://doi.org/10.1080/00224499.2012.745473

32.

Scheim

A. I.

Bauer

G. R.

(2019). Sexual inactivity among transfeminine persons: A Canadian respondent-driven sampling survey. The Journal of Sex Research, 56(2), 264–271. https://doi.org/10.1080/00224499.2017.1399334

33.

Schrock

D. P.

Reid

L. L.

(2006). Transsexuals’ sexual stories. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 35(1), 75–86. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10508-006-8996-8

34.

Simon

Gagnon

J. H.

(1986). Sexual scripts: Permanence and change. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 15(2), 97–120. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01542219

35.

Strauss

Cook

Winter

Watson

Wright Toussaint

Lin

(2020). Mental health issues and complex experiences of abuse among trans and gender diverse young people: Findings from trans pathways. LGBT Health, 7(3), 128–136. https://doi.org/10.1089/lgbt.2019.0232

36.

Testa

R. J.

Habarth

Peta

Balsam

Bockting

(2015). Development of the gender minority stress and resilience measure. Psychology of Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity, 2(1), 65–77. https://doi.org/10.1037/sgd0000081

37.

Tillman

K. H.

Brewster

K. L.

Holway

G. V.

(2019). Sexual and romantic relationships in young adulthood. Annual Review of Sociology, 45, 133–153. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-soc-073018-022625

38.

Tracy

S. J.

(2010). Qualitative quality: Eight “big-tent” criteria for excellent qualitative research. Qualitative Inquiry, 16(10), 837–851. https://doi.org/10.1177/1077800410383121

39.

Trans Student Educational Resources [TSER]. (2017). LGBTQ+ definitions. http://www.transstudent.org/definitions

40.

Wilson

(2009). Black lesbian gender and sexual culture: Celebration and resistance. Culture, Health, & Sexuality, 11(3), 297–313. https://doi.org/10.1080/13691050802676876

Supplementary Material

Please find the following supplemental material available below.

For Open Access articles published under a Creative Commons License, all supplemental material carries the same license as the article it is associated with.

For non-Open Access articles published, all supplemental material carries a non-exclusive license, and permission requests for re-use of supplemental material or any part of supplemental material shall be sent directly to the copyright owner as specified in the copyright notice associated with the article.

0.00 MB

0.13 MB

The Sexual Scripts of Transgender and Gender Diverse Emerging Adults: A Thematic Analysis

Abstract

Keywords

Get full access to this article

References

Supplementary Material