Date of Award

Spring 3-26-2026

Document Type

Honors Thesis

Department/Major

Psychology

Additional Department

Criminal Justice

First Advisor

Dr. April Carrillo

Second Advisor

Dr. Cynthia Struckman-Johnson

Third Advisor

Dr. Carol Leibiger

Keywords

Transgender, Two-Spirit, 2SLGBTQIA+, Midwest, Unique Challenges, Hopes, Internalized Transphobia, Perseverance

Subject Categories

Counseling | Psychology | Public Affairs, Public Policy and Public Administration | Social and Behavioral Sciences | Sociology

Abstract

In the United States today, gender can be a hot button topic, seemingly controversial and assigned as political, and within conservative regions the topic of gender becomes more taboo. Unfortunately, this view can lead to the stigmatization and discrimination of individuals who fall outside of the socially constructed gender binary. In order to explore how living in the conservative landscape of the Midwest impacts individuals who reside outside of the gender binary, 11 semi-structured, qualitative interviews with Trans and/or Two-Spirit individuals were conducted in which they were asked about their lived experiences. The findings of the interviews revolved around two domains: unique challenges and hopes. Unique challenges consisted of narratives including identity struggle, negative internal interactions, and negative external interactions. Hope focused on ways in which individuals persevere despite the negative experiences they may have. Throughout the findings, the correlation between negative internal and external interactions was clear. A correlation between identity struggle and negative interactions was also shown as well as a correlation between being raised in a conservative family and having feelings of internalized transphobia, homophobia, guilt, and shame. Finally, there was also a correlation between having hope and persevering despite challenges and struggles. These findings showcase how living in the Midwest can shape the lives and experiences of Trans and Two-Spirit folx.

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