Who Were They? Trans Identities and Memorialisation

Whilst there is a growing body of research exploring trans identities and lives, the studies have, without exception, focused on transgenderism as it is experienced, embodied and expressed ‘in life’. This study – focusing on trans identities during the course of memorialisation – is the first research of its kind to explore what happens to trans identities after death. The research explores a previously uncharted field, and highlights the ways in which trans+ people are remembered and their lives commemorated, drawing on the experiences of trans people themselves, as well as family, friends and wider community networks. It raises important questions about gendering over the life course and across the sphere of death vis-à-vis memorialisation practice, contributing to discussions around postmodernity and multiplicity, and challenging normative models of grief through its discussion of chosen family, disenfranchisement and marginality.