Research Article: Gender Identity Orientation and Sexual Activity—A Survey among Transgender and Gender-Diverse (TGD) Individuals in Norway
Abstract:
Background: The understanding and conceptualizing of gender and sexuality are continuously negotiated between individuals and cultures. Recently, new gender identity orientations have emerged, fighting pathologization and establishing new spaces and options for being sexually active gendered beings. Objective: To investigate variations in sexual activities across different gender identity orientations. Method: A questionnaire used in France was adapted to the Norwegian context and implemented in this study. The participants were recruited through therapists, TGD organizations, and social media. Results: A total of 538 individuals responded to the questionnaire, of which 336 provided a written description of their gender identity. Based on an analysis of the degree of male gender identity orientation, the degree of female gender identity orientation, and the degree of nonbinary gender identity orientation, three clusters appeared and were used in the analyses of sexual activities and preferences. Conclusions: Some findings could be attributed to lingering aspects of traditional gender roles, while others may be indicative of sexual expression stemming from societal acceptance of gender diversity and new identity orientations.
Introduction:
Since sexologists at the beginning of the twentieth century began to describe sexual and gender diversity as presented by their clients, there have been competing approaches for understanding and conceptualizing these phenomena. The initial accounts of sex and gender nonconformity by medical practitioners—von Krafft-Ebing in the late 1800s [1] and Hirschfeld in 1910 [2], in addition to Freud in 1905 with his psychoanalytic theories [3]—brought gender diversity into the purview of psychiatrists. There was a…
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