Why is this project important?
More people are identifying their gender outside of the male/female binary, yet non-binary identities and experiences have tended to be neglected from research. Previous studies with trans and non-binary people suggest they ‘do family’ in different ways from cisgender people, including sharing household and childcare labour more equally and raising children with nuanced understandings of gender (Tornello, 2020; Bower-Brown, 2022). Research also shows that trans and non-binary people face discrimination in family spaces, and that non-binary people may experience unique forms of stigma that are different from trans men and trans women (Ipsos, 2023; Bower-Brown, 2022; Bower-Brown et al 2021). It is therefore important for research to explore family experiences amongst non-binary people specifically.
‘Family Beyond the Binary’ aims to address this gap in research, by studying non-binary individuals’ expectations and experiences of family life. As well as understanding how non-binary individuals define and experience family, this study will also explore how family life is connected to stigma, identities and wellbeing. The study extends previous research by not only focussing on ‘traditional’ forms of family (such as family of origin and parenthood), but also focussing on chosen families (including relationships with friends, partners and pets) and experiences of community. This project comes at a particularly important time, given the current political polarisation of trans rights and protections. Through a variety of output methods, the overall aim of this study is to reduce stigma and improve wellbeing in non-binary communities.
Relevant Articles from our Researchers
Dr Susie Bower-Brown
Bower-Brown, S., Foley, S., & Jadva, V. (2025). “The three musketeers”: A triadic analysis of parenting responsibilities within U.K. LGBTQ+ three-parent families. Journal of Family Psychology. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1037/fam0001307
Bower-Brown, S., & Zadeh, S. (2025). LGBTQ+ fertility and conception. In M. Greenfield, K. Luxion, E. Molloy, & A.-A. Hinton (Eds.), A guide to providing LGBTQ+ inclusive reproductive health care: Pride in birth. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003305446-3
Improving trans and non-binary fertility experiences. (2024). IOE Impact Stories. University College London Institute of Education. https://www.ucl.ac.uk/ioe/research/engagement-and-impact/ioe-impact-stories/ioe-impact-stories-2024/improving-trans-and-non-binary-fertility-experiences
Bower-Brown, S., Shaw, K., McConnachie, A. L., Jadva, V., Ahuja, K., & Golombok, S. (2023). Biogenetic kinship in families formed via reciprocal IVF: “It was [my partner]’s egg… but my blood flowed through her.” Sociology, 57(6), 1163–1181. https://doi.org/10.1177/00380385231212398
Bower-Brown, S. (2022). Beyond mum and dad: Gendered assumptions about parenting and the experiences of trans and/or non-binary parents in the U.K. LGBTQ+ Family: An Interdisciplinary Journal, 18(3), 223–240. https://doi.org/10.1080/27703371.2022.2083040
Bower-Brown, S., & Zadeh, S. (2021). “I guess the trans identity goes with other minority identities”: An intersectional exploration of the experiences of trans and non-binary parents living in the U.K. International Journal of Transgender Health, 22(1–2), 101–112. https://doi.org/10.1080/26895269.2020.1835598
Bower-Brown, S., Zadeh, S., & Jadva, V. (2021). Binary-trans, non-binary and gender-questioning adolescents’ experiences in U.K. schools. Journal of LGBT Youth, 20(1), 74–92. https://doi.org/10.1080/19361653.2021.1873215
Dr Cal Horton
Horton, C. (2024). Towards a theory of cis-supremacy: Conceptualising ongoing barriers to trans equality. Sociology. https://doi.org/10.1177/00380385241296317
Horton, C. (2022). “Euphoria”: Trans children and experiences of pre-pubertal social transition. Family Relations. https://doi.org/10.1111/fare.12764
Horton, C. (2022). “I was losing that sense of her being happy”: Trans children and delaying social transition. LGBTQ+ Family. https://doi.org/10.1080/27703371.2022.2076002
Horton, C. (2022). “Of course, I'm intimidated by them. They could take my human rights away”: Trans children’s experiences with UK gender clinics. Bulletin of Applied Transgender Studies. https://doi.org/10.57814/20hf-7n94
Horton, C. (2022). De-pathologising diversity: Trans children and families’ experiences of pathologisation in the UK. Children & Society. https://doi.org/10.1111/chso.12625
Horton, C. (2022). Institutional cisnormativity and educational injustice: Trans children’s experiences in primary and early secondary education in the UK. British Journal of Educational Psychology. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjep.12540
Horton, C. (2022). Reducing gender minority stress: Support for trans pupils in our schools. International Journal of Transgender Health. https://doi.org/10.1080/26895269.2022.2081645
Prof. David Frost
Thomeer, M., LeBlanc, A., Paine, E., Frost, D. M., Singh, A., & Bockting, W. (2022). Past experiences and anticipated futures in the lives of transgender and nonbinary people. Advances in Life Course Research, 53, Article 100482. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.alcr.2022.100482
Frost, D. M. (2022). Introduction to the special section: Behavioral medicine research on stigma and the health of sexual and gender minority populations. Annals of Behavioral Medicine, 56(6), 533–535. https://doi.org/10.1093/abm/kaac016
Frost, D. M. (2020). Epilogue: Challenges in research methods and future directions on sexual and gender minority mental health research. In Oxford handbook of sexual and gender minority mental health (pp. 443–453). Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780190067991.013.39
Frost, D. M., Hammack, P. L., Wilson, B. D. M., Russell, S. T., Lightfoot, M., & Meyer, I. H. (2020). The qualitative interview in psychology and the study of social change: Sexual identity development, minority stress, and health in the Generations Study. Qualitative Psychology, 7(3), 245–266. https://doi.org/10.1037/qup0000148
Frost, D. M., Fine, M., Torre, M. E., & Cabana, A. (2019). Minority stress, activism, and health in the context of economic precarity: Results from a national participatory action survey of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and gender non-conforming youth. American Journal of Community Psychology, 63(3–4), 511–526. https://doi.org/10.1002/ajcp.12326
Scandurra, C., Amodeo, A. L., Bochicchio, V., Valerio, P., & Frost, D. M. (2017). Minority stress, resilience, and mental health: A study of Italian transgender people. Journal of Social Issues, 73(3), 563–585. https://doi.org/10.1111/josi.12232
Frost, D. M. (2017). The benefits and challenges of health disparities and social stress frameworks for research on sexual and gender minority health. Journal of Social Issues, 73(3), 462–476. https://doi.org/10.1111/josi.12226
Scandurra, C., Amodeo, A. L., Bochicchio, V., Valerio, P., & Frost, D. M. (2016). Psychometric characteristics of the Transgender Identity Survey in an Italian sample: A measure to assess positive and negative feelings towards transgender identity. International Journal of Transgenderism, 18(1), 53–65. https://doi.org/10.1080/15532739.2016.1241975
Frost, D. M. (2011). Social stigma and its consequences for the socially stigmatized. Social and Personality Psychology Compass, 5(11), 824–839. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1751-9004.2011.00394.x
Further Reading
Chandler, L., & Tasker, F. (2024). Nonbinary Young Adults Without Children Explore Past, Present, and Future Family Relationship Intentions Through Family Maps. LGBTQ+ Family: An Interdisciplinary Journal, 21(2), 177–200. https://doi.org/10.1080/27703371.2024.2394153
Curth, W., & Mayeux, L. (2024). The unique roles of family, friend, and online support in the psychological adjustment of transgender young adults. International Journal of Transgender Health, 1–16. https://doi.org/10.1080/26895269.2024.2443744
Frohard-Dourlent, H., Dobson, S., Clark, B., Doull, M., & Saewyc, E. (2017). “I would have preferred more options”: accounting for non-binary youth in health research. Nursing Inquiry, 24(1), 1–9. https://doi.org/10.1111/nin.12150
Ipsos. (2023). LGBT+ PRIDE 2023: A 30-Country Ipsos Global Advisor Survey. https://www.ipsos.com/en/pride-month-2023-9-of-adults-identify-as-lgbt
Mezzalira, S., Della Casa, V., Malmquist, A., Scandurra, C., Bochicchio, V., Garolla, A., & Miscioscia, M. (2024). Parenting Desire and Intention in the Health Trajectories of Transgender and Gender Diverse People: A Systematic Review. LGBTQ+ Family: An Interdisciplinary Journal, 1–21. https://doi.org/10.1080/27703371.2024.2427763
Perez, J., & Pepping, C. A. (2024). Relationship experiences of transgender and non-binary adults: exploring dating goals, relationship structures, minority stress, sexual fetishization, and relationship victimization. International Journal of Transgender Health, 1–20. https://doi.org/10.1080/26895269.2024.2316690
Shah, T. N., Parodi, K. B., Holt, M. K., Green, J. G., Katz-Wise, S. L., Kraus, A. D., Kim, G. S., & Ji, Y. (2022). A Qualitative Exploration of How Transgender and Non-binary Adolescents Define and Identify Supports. Journal of Adolescent Research, 39(1), 133-164. https://doi.org/10.1177/07435584221123123 (Original work published 2024)
Stone, A. L., Nimmons, E. A., Salcido, R., & Schnarrs, P. W. (2019). “Multiplicity, Race, and Resilience: Transgender and Non‐Binary People Building Community.” Sociological Inquiry, 90(2), 226–248. https://doi.org/10.1111/soin.12341
Tornello, S. L. (2020). Division of Labor Among Transgender and Gender Non-binary Parents: Association With Individual, Couple, and Children’s Behavioral Outcomes. Frontiers in Psychology, 11(January), 1–12. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.00015