Gatekeepers for Gendersex Norms: Trans (Un)Intelligibility and (Il)Legitimacy Within the Danish Healthcare System

Transfeminist studies in Sweden, Norway, and Finland have documented gendersex binary and cis-/heteronormative practices in trans-specific healthcare. Similarly, the Sexology Clinic (SC) has been accused of interpreting gendersex as binary and sexuality as heteronormative. To explore whether Danish healthcare practices are shaped by binary gendersex and heteronormative ideals, we created a survey in collaboration with LGBT DK asking trans people (n = 48) about their experiences with the SC’s practices. We paid particular attention to people who were rejected from the clinic to explore which subject positions the clinic might perceive as unintelligible or illegitimate. Our survey showed that the majority of the participants (75%) identified as LGBQIA+, and eight of 48 participants self-identified as non-binary or with multiple gender identities. Furthermore, non-binary and LGBQIA+ respondents reported a greater conflict with the SC’s interpellation of transgender identity and gender expression than people identifying within the gendersex binary and/or as heterosexual. This finding underlines the importance of ensuring that the SC complies with the World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH) guidelines and accepts trans people’s own interpellations of gendersex and sexuality as intelligible and legitimate.