Claiming transgender identity: Contextualising linguistic tensions over the term transgender in Hong Kong

This article offers an analysis of the politics of naming and recognition regarding the label transgender in Hong Kong. It poses the question of how issues of gender identities, terminologies and ideologies play out in the societal context of postcolonial Hong Kong. It also highlights the complexity of Hong Kong transgender identities by documenting definitional tensions and boundary maintenance between two groups of local transgender women. While those in the ‘gender-normative transgender group’ value consistency and fixity in their gender identities, those in the ‘gender-inclusive transgender group’ embrace fluidity and diversity. Drawing from twelve interviews with self-identified transgender Hong Kongers, the article scrutinises diverse interpretations of transgender, revealing layers of meaning linked to fears of misrepresentation, exclusion, authenticity and cisnormativity. The research highlights the intricate interplay of language, identity and societal dynamics within Hong Kong's transgender discourse. 這篇文章對於香港有關「跨性別」標籤的命名與認可政治進行了分析。它提出了一個問題，即在後殖民時期的香港的社會背景下，性別身份、術語和意識形態問題如何展現。文章還通過記錄兩組本地跨性別女性之間的定義緊張和邊界維護，突顯了跨性別身份的複雜性。在「性別規範跨性別群體」中，那些人重視其性別身份的一致性和固定性，而在「性別包容跨性別群體」中，則擁抱流動性和多樣性。文章通過分析十二位次與自我認同為跨性別的香港人的訪談，深入審視了對「跨性別」這一概念的多種詮釋。這些訪談揭示了與誤表達、排斥、真實性主張及維護順性別常規相關的多層意義。文章強調了語言、身份和社會動態在香港跨性別話語中的錯綜交織。