Partner relationships following transition: A metasynthesis of the views of cisgender partners

Background: Over the past five decades, legal, media, and social attention has been increasingly paid to cisgender partners of trans people, specifically in terms of partners who transition within the context of an existing relationship. 

Aims: To explore the experiences and views of cisgender partners of trans people. 

Method: Four databases were searched for qualitative peer-reviewed publications focused on cisgender people and their trans partners, published between 2000 and 2024. A total of 27 studies were identified, and a metasynthesis was undertaken utilizing reflexive thematic analysis. 

Results: Five main themes were developed: (1) cis people’s initial responses to a partner disclosing that they were trans, (2) cis people’s perceptions of the impact of partner transition on their own identity, (3) cis people’s negative responses to a partner transitioning, (4) impact of cisgenderism on the couple, and (5) what makes for a caring relationship after a partner transition. 

Conclusions: Limitations of this metathesis and included studies are that participants are primarily from three countries, identify as women, and do not include other demographic information that may impact the relationship. However, the metasynthesis highlights important directions for future research.