Journal of Iranian Social Studies

Challenges and Strategies for Revealing the Gender Identity of Trans Men in Mashhad

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

Majid Fouladiyan 1
Amirarad Gharavol 2
Fatemeh Derakhshanfar 2

1 Associate Professor, Department of Social Sciences, Faculty of Literature and Humanities, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Iran

2 Master's student, Social Sciences Researcher, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Iran

https://doi.org/10.22034/jss.2025.2063771.1907
Abstract
Disclosure of gender identity by trans men in cultural-religious contexts such as Mashhad is not merely a personal or psychological matter, but rather a social and risky action that is shaped in opposition to the dominant gender order, institutional power, and patriarchal discourses. This study aims to identify the challenges and strategies of trans men in the process of disclosing and establishing their gender identity, focusing on their lived experience in Mashhad, using a qualitative method and content analysis. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with 14 trans men (22 to 30 years old) and samples were selected using purposive and snowball sampling. Data analysis was conducted at three individual, meso, and macro levels, using the theories of Goffman, Butler, Giddens, Archer, and West and Zimmerman. Findings indicate that participants face challenges such as anxiety, identity instability, family rejection, domestic violence, discriminatory bureaucracy, and social stigma. In response to challenges, trans individuals utilize strategies such as selective concealment, body management, social capital, leaving nonconforming environments, and redefinition of masculinity. Masculine identity in trans men is a process of ongoing formation and redefinition that develops within the context of social surveillance and based on interaction with the social environment. This analysis shows that gender, body, and agency in the experience of being trans are fluid and contextual concepts. One of the most important limitations of the research was the difficulty in accessing participants due to the sensitivity of the topic and security considerations in the socio-cultural context of Mashhad.

Keywords

Gender order
Gender identity
Disclosure
Challenges
Resistance strategies
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Journal of Iranian Social Studies
Volume 18, Issue 4
Winter 2025
Pages 133-157

  • Receive Date 30 June 2025
  • Revise Date 16 August 2025
  • Accept Date 29 September 2025
  • First Publish Date 29 September 2025
  • Publish Date 19 February 2025

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