“I feel like me. Exactly who I Am and who I’m meant to Be”: examining gender euphoria in disabled and neurodivergent transgender and nonbinary communities

Background Research on gender euphoria has increased significantly in recent years. Gender euphoria originated in TNB communities, and recent research has uncovered more of its nature, facilitators, and outcomes. To continue this process, this study expands the scope of gender euphoria by utilizing crip theory to examine the unique experiences of disabled and neurodivergent TNB individuals, specifically in the reality of an oppressive society where epistemic injustice prevails.Methods Coupling focus group methodology with creative writing, TNB adults (N = 16) who identified as neurodivergent and disabled wrote about their experiences of gender euphoria. The participants engaged in a six-week writing group and responded to broad prompts on gender euphoria each week. Writing submissions were then analyzed by the researchers using a reflexive thematic analytical approach.Findings Four themes were generated as avenues through which participants achieved gender euphoria in an oppressive society: (1) Safety as a foundation, (2) Unmasking “wrong” body-minds, (3) Community and shared identity in a world that demands explanation, and (4) Being seen and healing through gender- and disability-affirming actions.Discussion Our findings demonstrate the foundational importance of safety and unmasking the idea of a “wrong” body-mind as necessary components for experiencing gender euphoria. Additionally, our findings emphasize how being with others who have shared identities and are gender- and disability-affirming through their actions can lead to gender euphoria. We conclude with a discussion of the implications of our findings, including the need for more intersectional research on gender euphoria, the importance of producing co-occurring narratives and achieving epistemic justice through developing a more accurate picture of the experiences of TNB people, and the actions researchers, educators, and practitioners can take to be more gender- and disability-affirming.