Virtually Trans: an Australian Facebook group supporting gender diverse adults’ health and wellbeing
| Autor: | Carolynne White, Eden Dowers, Jonathan Kingsley |
|---|---|
| Rok vydání: | 2020 |
| Předmět: |
Adult
Health (social science) Identity (social science) Context (language use) Transgender Persons Peer Group 03 medical and health sciences Social support 0302 clinical medicine Ethnography Health care Kinship Humans 030212 general & internal medicine Sociology Information exchange Online participation business.industry 05 social sciences Australia Public Health Environmental and Occupational Health Gender Identity 050301 education Gender studies business Social Media 0503 education |
| Zdroj: | Health Promotion International. 36:196-205 |
| ISSN: | 1460-2245 |
| DOI: | 10.1093/heapro/daaa061 |
| Popis: | Summary Social networking sites are the primary means by which trans and gender diverse people meet, enabling both community contact and information exchange. This study considers the meaning of participation in a secret Facebook group for trans and gender diverse adults in Melbourne (Australia). A peer ethnographic methodology was used to study the Melbourne-based group listed under the pseudonym ‘Virtually Trans’. Qualitative semi-structured interviews were conducted with 12 Virtually Trans group members. Interviews were transcribed and thematically analysed. Interview data were supplemented with field notes written throughout online participation over an 8-month period to add richness and provide context to the data. Three major themes were developed from this analysis. First, experiences outside of Virtually Trans, most notably within health care settings, were perceived to be unsafe. Second, practices of care in Virtually Trans conferred a sense of kinship and identity affirmation. Finally, Virtually Trans enabled localized information exchange between peers. Virtually Trans is not a neutral platform of self-performance but a safe(r) environment for expanding the gendered possibilities of who and how people may become. This study highlights the importance of a secret Facebook group in filling care, information and resource gaps experienced by trans and gender diverse people within a major metropolitan setting. The findings have implications for practitioners working with trans and gender diverse adults and peer health navigation. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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