The Privilege of Passing: a Transgender Population Study

Transgender individuals who do their gender in ways that allow them to pass as cisgender (i.e., who appear to others to be 'not trans') are theorised to hold a 'passing privilege'. Using matched survey and register data on the population of transgender individuals who have changed their legal sex in Denmark, we investigate the relationship between passing and outcomes related to mental health, social life, and education and the labour market. Our findings confirm that higher levels of passing are associated with increasingly favourable outcomes across all domains. Individuals who pass to a high degree report less life dissatisfaction, fewer suicidal thoughts, less social isolation, and fewer difficulties in daily life settings. Higher passing is also associated with substantial educational and labour market advantages, including increased employment rates, particularly for trans men. While trans men and trans women place similar importance on passing, and often face similar privilege increments when passing to a higher degree, trans men are much more likely to pass at high levels and thus to enjoy the privileges associated with passing.