Xavier Guadalupe-Diaz
Associate Professor, Framingham State University
Key Findings
- Abusers were able to control their victims by alter-casting, or forcing the victim to focus on their insecurities, and regulating their victims’ transition treatments.
- Victims reported that abusers exploited their vulnerability to safe, stable and normal in their relationships.
- Other tactics abusers used to intimidate their victims was choosing to focus on their victims birth name and using traits from their chosen gender identity against them.
- By keeping their victims in between their transition, abusers were able to exert control over their victim’s sense of self using it to discredit their identities.
- Abusers used objects to take control of the situation as well.
- For previous negative behaviors, abusers gave gifts to indicate a change and would also destroy objects of significance to their victim’s transition.
- Abusers were able to control their victims by regulating aspects of their transition, from hormones to other aspects of the victim’s body.
Description
In the article, “Discrediting Identity Work: Understandings of Intimate Partner Violence by Transgender Survivors,” Guadalupe-Diaz and his co-author examined transgender (trans) survivors of intimate partner violence (IPV). To conduct their study, the researchers interviewed eighteen trans individuals that were victims of IPV to determine specific tactics abusers use to control their victims. The researchers conducted interviews in-person, via phone and online chat to collect their data. At the time of the study, each of the participants had left their abusive relationship and all but one had only been in one abusive relationship. The findings showed that abusers were able to control their victim’s by alter-casting, or forcing the victim to focus on their insecurities, and regulating their victims’ transition treatments. Victims reported that abusers exploited their vulnerability to feel safe, stable and normal in their relationships. Other tactics abusers used to intimidate their victims was choosing to focus on their victim’s birth name and using traits from their chosen gender identity against them. By keeping their victims in between their transition, abusers were able to exert control over their victim’s sense of self–using it to discredit their identities. Abusers also used objects to take control of the situation. For previous negative behaviors, abusers gave gifts to indicate a change and would also destroy objects of significance to their victim’s transition. Abusers were able to control their victims by regulating aspects of their transition, from hormones to other aspects of the victim’s body. In conclusion, the researchers note how internal, which includes individual stigma, and external, including external and societal stigmas, transphobia supports IPV in trans relationships and enables abusers. The authors suggest further research on this topic to understand new ways of preventing IPV in trans relationships.