Trans Experiences - A Research Report for Trans Communities and Their Allies

Trans communities are in the headlines. Everybody has an opinion on 'what transsexuality is'. But how do trans people them-selves describe being trans? This community based study examined this question. Findings include that the diversity and complexity of people s experience by far exceeds what is commonly acknowledged. Physical embodiment and social acceptance are important to trans people, but the most unifying themes are self-finding, self-realization and spiritu-ality. Experiences described cover a wide range. They can in fact be mutually exclusive. This suggests that any simplistic one fits all explanation will be oppressive to at least some trans people. In a sad twist, the research finds that trans people who chal-lenge the clinical model of transsexuality the most, are also the ones who most likely will not participate in clinical studies - thus guaran-teeing that much of the diversity within communities remains hidden - except by community based research like the one at hand.