Gender: Governance and Resistance

Abstract

In order to explore trans people’s intimate partnerships it is important to consider the ways in which people become subjectified with respect to gender identity and sexuality, each of which are generally considered to be central elements of intimacy. Trans people come to a realisation at some stage in their lives that they do not identify with the gender they were assigned at birth, and this realisation impacts on many other aspects of their lives, including their sexualities and intimate relations with others. As such I focus within this chapter on the governance of gender in contemporary neoliberal societies (in particular the UK) as well as the possibilities of attempting to subvert the norms built up therein. This discussion is built upon in subsequent chapters where sexuality and intimacy are considered.