Abstract
BACKGROUND: Trans rage is a sense of rage toward cisgenderism that is commonly, but not exclusively, experienced by trans peoples, individually and collectively. Despite its revolutionary history, trans rage and the ways in which it manifests for trans and non-binary peoples has remained an under researched area in trans studies. AIMS: This paper aims to investigate how trans peoples' experiences of cisgenderism impact their feelings of trans rage, how trans rage manifests for trans peoples, how trans peoples channel their feelings of trans rage, and how trans rage can be harnessed to challenge cisgenderism. METHODS: 26 trans and non-binary people aged 18+ living in Australia were interviewed about their experiences with family, shame, and resilience, with a subsection of resilience focused on trans rage. Thematic analysis was used to explore participants' experiences of trans rage. RESULTS: Through thematic analysis four themes were developed: 1) Cisgenderism as a source of trans rage, 2) Constructive and destructive manifestations of trans rage, 3) Trans rage as a motivating force, and 4) Collective trans rage as a challenge to cisgenderism. CONCLUSIONS: Through an exploration of participants' experiences of trans rage, the research findings demonstrate its potential as a motivating force to challenge cisgenderism through activism, solidarity building, and community organizing. In a time where trans rights are being used as a key political wedge issue, we must better understand how we can harness the transformative power of trans rage in order to push back against anti-trans bigotry, and to begin dismantling the cisgenderist belief systems that support it. This paper concludes by calling for ongoing theorization of trans rage and its applications, and a call-to-action to expand these applications across a broad range of settings, beyond academia, in an intersectional manner building solidarity with cis people as they too would benefit from challenging cisgenderism.