Trans Vitalism and Promissory Joyful Futures for Transgender Children

Abstract (English)

As the mother of a trans* boy I find myself using a narrative that ‘I’m literally fighting for his life’. This trope is born out of the fact that trans people as a marginalised community have a 50% chance of attempting and/or succeeding in suicide as a response to their suffering. The convergence of queer vitalism, trans euphoria, and joy within the context of trans experiences provides a framework that considers possibilities for parenting trans children. It potentially moves beyond or expands on trans necropolitics framings that focuses on how queer and trans lives are erased and made precarious. Family support has been identified as the strongest predictor of resilience for trans youth. Parents of trans children may seek gender euphoria for their children (and themselves) by supporting social transition and/or medical intervention (puberty blockers, hormone therapy and/or gender reassignment surgery) to align their children’s bodies with gender identity. Parents face these tough decisions for their trans child in an environment where the trans necropolitical order of the United States is dominating global thought. By using neuroqueer theory I examine the way in which people's social, cultural, and political identities combine and result in unique combinations of trans necropolitics and trans vitalism for parents of trans children in South Africa.

* I use the term 'transgender' to refer to people whose gender does not match the sex category they were assigned to at birth. They usually opt for some form of medically affirming care to align their body with gender identity.