Making Space: An Exploration of Transgender People's Spatial Experiences

• In Event: Contesting Queer Spaces

Abstract

In general, little research exists on transgender people’s spatial experiences despite space being highly relevant to their experiences of violence and perceptions of safety. To date, two criminological studies have examined LGBTQ people’s fear of crime in relation to public or private places and spaces. This is in stark contrast to the sizable place and space literature on cisgender and heterosexual men and women. Through cultural and queer criminological lens, the current study uses in-depth semi-structured interviews with transgender individuals to explore how they move through place and space and the role of cultural repertoires in shaping how they navigate these spaces. Preliminary findings reveal the nuanced ways cultural repertoires shape gender in public, private, and online spaces and highlight the complex ways trans people’s intersecting identities affect their spatial experiences.

Author

• Susana Avalos, Old Dominion University