Trans sexuality: A phenomenological-hermeneutic enquiry into the sexuality of trans and non-binary people - with implications for the practice of existential-phenomenological counselling psychology and psychotherapy

Trans people are those people who are not content to remain the gender they were assigned at birth. They may identify as men, or as women, or outside of the gender binary. As part of establishing oneself in a different gender from that assigned at birth, trans people may consider many aspects of their being-in-the-world including embodiment, attendant intersubjectivity and, as part of that, sexuality.
Trans people have been poorly served in the past regarding sexuality, with literatures suggesting that trans people necessarily sexualise transition; that trans people must be heterosexual in their identified gender; and that sexuality is a motivation for transition. These notions have mostly been driven by theoretical positions which have not fully encompassed trans people’s own conceptualisations of their sexuality.
Consequently this research has investigated trans people’s sexuality from a phenomenological perspective in which trans people’s own understandings are to the fore. A phenomenological investigation with a group of eleven self-identified trans people was undertaken. Using Lego, the participants modelled their sexuality in order to avoid established narratives of trans and sexuality. The participants then explained their models and a group discussion was then held concerning trans and sexuality. The information thus elicited was subject to two hermeneutics – one of description; and one of ‘suspicion’ in which the participants contributions were tentatively contextualised within an existential philosophical framework. The resulting themes were Barriers; Time; Reference to multiplicity or binary identities; and Gender Identity Clinics. These themes were considered with reference to the implications they may have for counselling psychological practice.