Researching how transgender men navigate romantic relationships: Adam Thomas’ personal journey
Human Development and Family Studies doctoral and research student, Adam Thomas, will soon release a survey to study how transgender men navigate romantic relationships.
"Broadly, my research focuses on transgender men as they are a group that is highly
understudied," Adam explained. "I am actually a transgender man. My wife and I got
married 4 years ago as two women and there was no literature out there to help us
navigate my transition as a couple. Thankfully, we've been able to successfully navigate
everything together, but that's not the case for many trans men in romantic relationships."
Adam says that transgender individuals have been found to have higher rates of unsuccessful relationships due to their transition and more research in this area is needed.
"I am wanting to help pave the way for trans men to have an easier time navigating their transitions. I am specifically trying to find how trans men's romantic relationships change throughout their transition. Focus will be given to factors such as sexual fluidity, sexual activities, relationship quality, infidelity, and traditional views of masculinity."
Adam's study will help inform on best practices for couple, marriage, and family therapists. Through the findings, Adam aims to educate transgender men on experiences they may have throughout their transition.