5:
While cisgender aging men face a delegitimisation of their masculinity as a result of ageist, ableist and heterosexist tropes associating ‘real masculinity’ with virility, ability and youth, this phenomenon takes a particular toll on middle-aged and older trans men. Founded on an autoethnographic methodology, this chapter focuses on my desire for a top surgery (mastectomy) resulting from bodily changes associated with ageing, as well as structural factors such as cisgenderism and ageism. To do so, I first point to some limitations in the literature on trans ageing. Second, based on an autoethnographic account anchored in my experience as a trans middle-aged man, I provide personal narratives that can help healthcare professionals better comprehend the complex intersections of transness and ageing and cisgenderism and ageism. Third, I insist on the importance, for academics and practitioners, of endorsing an intersectional approach to better serve marginalised populations living at the intersection of multiple oppressions.
-
Ansara, Y.G. (2015) ‘Challenging cisgenderism in the ageing and aged care sector: meeting the needs of older people of trans and/or non-binary experience’, Australasian Journal on Ageing, 34: 14–18.
-
Bailey, L. (2012) ‘Trans ageing: thoughts on a life course approach in order to better understand trans lives’, in R. Ward, M. Sutherland and I. Rivers (eds) Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Ageing: Biographical Approaches for Inclusive Care and Support, London: Jessica Kingsley Publishers, pp 30–8.
-
Bailey, L., McNeil, J. and Ellis, S.J. (2019) ‘Mental health and well-being among older trans people’, in A. King, K. Almack, Y.-T. Suen and S. Westwood (eds) Older Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Trans People: Minding the Knowledge Gaps, London: Routledge, pp 44–60.
-
Baril, A. and Silverman, M. (2019) ‘Forgotten lives: trans older adults living with dementia at the intersection of cisgenderism, ableism/cogniticism and ageism’, Sexualities [online]: 1–15. DOI: 10.1177/1363460719876835.
-
Benbow, S.M., Eost-Telling, C. and Kingston, P. (2022) ‘A narrative review of literature on the use of health and social care by older trans adults: what can United Kingdom services learn?’, Ageing & Society, 42(10): 2262–83.
-
Bishop, J.-A. and Westwood, S. (2019) ‘Trans(gender)/gender-diverse ageing’, in S. Westwood (ed) Ageing, Diversity and Equality: Social Justice Perspectives, London: Routledge, pp 82–97.
-
Cook-Daniels, L. (2015) ‘Transgender ageing: what practitioners should know’, in N.A. Orel and C.A. Fruhauf (eds) The Lives of LGBT Older Adults, Washington, DC: American Psychological Association, pp 193–215.
-
Crenshaw, K. (1989) ‘Demarginalizing the intersection of race and sex: a Black feminist critique of discrimination doctrine, feminist theory and antiracist practice’, University of Chicago Legal Forum, 1989(1): 139–67.
-
Dubois, L.Z., SturtzSreetharan, C., MacFife, B., Puckett, J.A., Jagielski, A., Dunn, T.A. et al (2022) ‘Trans and gender diverse people’s experience wearing face masks during the COVID-19 pandemic: findings from data across 4 states in the USA’, Sexuality Research and Social Policy: 1–9 [online], Available from: https:// DOI: 10.1007/s13178-022-00781-0.
-
Ellis, C., Adams, T.E. and Bochner, A.P. (2011) ‘Autoethnography: an overview’, Qualitative Social Research, 12(1), [online], Available from: http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:0114-fqs1101108
-
Fabbre, V.D. (2014) ‘Gender transitions in later life: the significance of time in queer aging’, Journal of Gerontological Social Work, 57(2–4): 161–75.
-
Fabbre, V.D. and Gaveras, E. (2020) ‘The manifestation of multilevel stigma in the lived experiences of transgender and gender nonconforming older adults’, American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 90(3): 350–60.
-
Fabbre, V.D. and Siverskog, A. (2020) ‘Transgender ageing: community resistance and well-being in the life course’, in A. King, K. Almack and R.L. Jones (eds) Intersections of Ageing, Gender and Sexualities: Multidisciplinary International Perspectives, Bristol: Policy Press, pp 47–62.
-
Fredriksen-Goldsen, K., Cook-Daniels, L., Kim, H.J., Erosheva, E.A., Emlet, C.A., Hoy-Ellis, C.P. et al (2014) ‘Physical and mental health of transgender older adults: an at-risk and underserved population’, The Gerontologist, 54(3): 488–500.
-
Hardacker, C., Ducheny, K. and Houlberg, M. (eds) (2019) Transgender and Gender Nonconforming Health and Aging, Cham: Springer.
-
Hébert, W., Enriquez, M.C. and Chamberland, L. (2013) ‘Working with trans elders: finding the resources to make the health and social services sectors more inclusive’, unpublished report.
-
Hill Collins, P. (2000) Black Feminist Thought: Knowledge, Consciousness, and the Politics of Empowerment (2nd edn), New York: Routledge.
-
Holzmer, S.W., Lewis, P.G., Landau, M.J. and Hill, M.E. (2020) ‘Surgical management of gynecomastia: a comprehensive review of the literature’, Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery Global Open, 8(10): e3161. DOI: 10.1097/GOX.0000000000003161
-
Latham, J.R. and Barrett, C. (2015) ‘Trans health and ageing: an evidence-based guide to inclusive services’, Melbourne: La Trobe University.
-
Nowakowski, A.C.H., Sumerau, J.E. and Mathers, L.A.B. (2021) ‘Health and ageing among middle and later age transgender populations’, in A.H. Johnson, B.A. Rogers and T. Taylor (eds) Advances in Trans Studies: Moving toward Gender Expansion and Trans Hope, Bingley: Emerald Publishing Limited, pp 9–27.
-
Pang, C., Gutman, G. and de Vries, B. (2019) ‘Later life care planning and concerns of transgender older adults in Canada’, The International Journal of Aging and Human Development, 89(1): 39–56.
-
Pearce, R. (2019) ‘Trans temporalities and non-linear ageing’, in A. King, K. Almack, Y.-T. Suen and S. Westwood (eds) Older Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Trans People: Minding the Knowledge Gaps, London: Routledge, pp 61–74.
-
Porter, K.E., Brennan-Ing, M., Chang, S.C., Dickey, L.M., Singh, A.A., Bower, K.L. et al (2016) ‘Providing competent and affirming services for transgender and gender nonconforming older adults’, Clinical Gerontologist, 39(5): 366–88.
-
Serano, J. (2007) Whipping Girl: A Transsexual Woman on Sexism and the Scapegoating of Femininity, Berkeley: Seal Press.
-
Silverman, M. and Baril, A. (2021) ‘Transing dementia: rethinking compulsory biographical continuity through the theorization of cisism and cisnormativity’, Journal of Aging Studies, 58: 1–9.
-
Silverman, M. and Baril, A. (2023) ‘“We have to advocate so hard for ourselves and our people”: caring for a trans or non-binary older adult with dementia’, LGBTQ+ Family: An Interdisciplinary Journal, 19(3): 187–210. DOI: 10.1080/27703371.2023.2169215
-
Siverskog, A. (2014) ‘“They just don’t have a clue”: transgender aging and implications for social work’, Journal of Gerontological Social Work, 57(2–4): 386–406.
-
Siverskog, A. (2015) ‘Ageing bodies that matter: age, gender and embodiment in older transgender people’s life stories’, NORA: Nordic Journal of Feminist and Gender Research, 23(1): 4–19.
-
Toze, M. (2019) ‘Developing a critical trans gerontology’, British Journal of Sociology, 70(4): 1490–509.
-
Toze, M. (2021) ‘Invisible futures: trans men and representations of ageing’, Intersectional Perspectives: Identity, Culture, and Society, 1: 53–73.
-
White, F.R. (2014) ‘Fat/trans: queering the activist body’, Fat Studies: An Interdisciplinary Journal of Body Weight and Society, 3(2): 86–100.
-
Willis, P., Raithby, M., Dobbs, C., Evans, E. and Bishop, J.-A. (2021) ‘“I’m going to live my life for me”: trans ageing, care, and older trans and gender non-conforming adults’ expectations of and concerns for later life’, Ageing & Society, 41(12): 2792–813.
-
Witten, T.M. (2003) ‘Life course analysis: the courage to search for something more; middle adulthood issues in the transgender and intersex community’, in M.K. Sullivan (ed) Sexual Minorities: Discrimination, Challenges, and Development in America, New York: Haworth Press, pp 189–224.
-
Witten, T.M. and Eyler, A.E. (2012) ‘Transgender and aging: beings and becoming’, in T.M. Witten and A.E. Eyler (eds) Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Aging: Challenges in Research, Practice and Policy, Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, pp 187–269.
| May 2022 onwards | Past Year | Past 30 Days | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Abstract Views | 76 | 76 | 29 |
| Full Text Views | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| PDF Downloads | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Institutional librarians can find more information about free trials here
We are a leading social science publisher
committed to making a difference.
Bristol University Press and
Policy Press
bristoluniversitypress.co.uk