Emotional worlds colliding: A qualitative exploration of the emotional experiences of transgender and cisgender women in romantic relationships during transition

Relationships in which one partner is transgender are often more complex compared to other LGBQ+ couples, due to the ways in which gender transition prompts changes for each partner and their relationship. Despite the impact of transition on both partners, the relationships of transgender people have been underresearched. This study was guided by symbolic interactionism to explore how transgender and cisgender women in romantic relationships experienced their relationship during their transition process. Constructivist grounded theory was used to analyze interviews with 20 transgender and cisgender participants using group-level analysis. Both groups described their journeys in terms of emotional tensions that ebbed and flowed across time. Participants reflected on how they experienced tensions internally and within their relationships as they worked through change and created meaning from their experiences. Recommendations for research and clinical work are provided, in light of these findings.