Navigating a Romantic Partner's Gender Transition

Transgender adults undergoing medical transition often rely on their romantic partner (RP) for support, yet partners may face challenges in providing support. Family resilience theory suggests that RPs may draw on resilience strategies to overcome the challenges faced during medical transition. Despite their important role, little research has explored RPs' experiences during a partner's medical gender transition. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 15 RPs from across the United States to examine their perceptions of transitioning individuals' (TIs) needs during transition, challenges RPs faced when providing support, and strategies used to overcome challenges. Using thematic analysis, we generated codes and higher order themes. RPs perceived TIs to need emotional support (i.e., affirmation and reassurance), practical support (i.e., administering hormone shots, advice on aligning gender expression), and safety during transition. RPs faced challenges including a lack of available resources, TIs' mental health struggles and TIs' maladaptive coping skills, and stigma. To overcome challenges, RPs balanced each partner's needs, engaged in effective communication, became educated on medical transitions, used adaptive coping skills, and accessed support from others. Themes unique to couples navigating one partner's medical gender transition included stigma as a challenge for RPs and safety from stigma as a unique perceived need for TIs. Support from the LGBTQ+ community served as a key factor for helping RPs overcome challenges. The present findings underscore the need to include RPs in gender-affirming care to set expectations, create plans related to safety and stigma, share resources, and make referrals to LGBTQ+ and mental-health supports, all of which would likely bolster TI support during medical transition.