Temporal dysphoria: trans temporality beyond transition

Transgender temporalities are increasingly discussed separately and as distinct from queer temporalities, yet conceptualizations of trans time often hinge on gender transition. Medical transition – or the anticipation thereof – can be a major force in trans people’s lives, but there are also many trans, nonbinary, and other gender-diverse people (collectively TGD) who do not desire or seek medical intervention – and, among those who do, our lives are not defined by it. I argue that trans temporality also exists in ways that are not bound up with transition, and that extend beyond transition for those who undergo medical intervention. I describe these temporalities as temporal dysphoria, a time-related sense of disjuncture that can manifest as part of a person’s trans experience, but is not necessarily predicated on gender transition. I introduce three types of temporal dysphoria: missing time; the time loop; and the disjuncture of time, place, and ‘progress’. I argue that thinking about trans temporality in more expansive terms helps trans studies to be more inclusive of the wide range of trans, nonbinary, and gender-diverse experiences.