Contextualizing the Mental Health of Transgender, Genderqueer and Non-binary Communities Through Intersectionality and Gender Minority Stress and Resilience Frameworks

This dissertation examines the mental health context of transgender women, transgender men, genderqueer, and non-binary individuals (TGNB collectively) through the lens of Intersectionality Theory (Combahee River Collective, 1971; Crenshaw, 1989; Crenshaw 2017) and the Gender Minority Stress and Resilience Model (Testa et. al., 2015). Through three independent studies, this dissertation critically reviews the Gender Minority Stress and Resilience Model; compares experiences multi-domain gender affirmation and mental health between transgender and GQNB groups; and applies an intersectional approach to the examination of mental health among BIPOC transgender and GQNB groups. The overall findings of this dissertation suggest that pre-existing TGNB mental health research has been shaped by white supremacy. In addition, this dissertation confirms previous research findings which demonstrate differential mental health experiences among genderqueer and non-binary individuals compared to transgender women and transgender men. The differential mental health outcomes are explained, in part by differences in interpersonal and structural gender affirmation between groups. In addition to multi-domain gender affirmation, the mental health of BIPOC (i.e. Black, Indigenous, People of Color) TGNB individuals is directly impacted by racist and anti-TGNB discrimination. Finally, this dissertation highlights the need for intersectional approaches to the mental health research of multiply minoritized groups such as BIPOC TGNB communities.