Submission Date

7-24-2026

Document Type

Paper- Restricted to Campus Access

Department

English

Faculty Mentor

Kara McShane

Comments

Presented during the 28th Annual Summer Fellows Symposium, July 24, 2026 at Ursinus College.

Project Description

Throughout written history, authentic narratives and self-representation have been an uphill battle because of a silenced history that has prevented queer—and especially transfeminine—experiences from seeing the light, instead being presented stereotypical and harmful. Because of this history, approaches to discussing identity and representation are critical in queer studies and literature. As it stands today, many of the stereotypes and deferrals of identity still exist in scholarship and literature. As scholars, it falls into our hands to dismantle harmful assumptions of personal gender identity, as well as broad generalizations of transgender women as inherently privileged, crossdressers, or as ontologically male-presenting. Through analyzing modern talks and articles, I build an argument on how to properly represent underrepresented voices that have been defined by externalized stereotypes. Following this, I work with a peer to develop a stage play that focuses on expressing these untold narratives, correcting the cisnormative master narrative of transfemininity.

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