The word transgender is an umbrella term used to describe the experiences of people who don’t identify with the gender assigned to them at birth. In Slovenia, transgender people are stigmatised against on both a systemic and social level. Due to frequent experiences of discrimination and difficulty in accessing transition, many trans people face mental health problems. Within the transgender community, trans people from rural areas are an especially vulnerable population. Research from other countries shows that they face a bigger fear of discrimination and have limited access to trans-specific services and support.
My research questions consist of topics such as experiencing gender and trans identity, the pros and cons of rural areas from a trans perspective, relationships with local rural communities and experiences of transition in relation to growing up in a rural area. My research is qualitative and exploratory. There were six transmasculine and non-binary participants, the method used was a semi-structured interview.
Findings show that the experiences of trans people from rural areas are similar to those of the general Slovenian population when it comes to experienced discrimination, support and transition. Trans people in rural areas face specific challenges such as conservatism, small local communities with strong social control and political propaganda from the Catholic Church. Because of these circumstances trans people don’t dare to reveal their genders and live in fear of discrimination. They often feel like the only queer people in their areas, thus they rely on the internet for support and information.
My goal is to contribute to the small amount of Slovenian scientific literature on the topic of transgenderism, as well as strengthen the weak connection between social work and the trans community. I would also like to find out more about a population which hadn’t been researched yet in Slovenia.
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