Strategies of Resistance: Empowering Transgender and Gender-Expansive Adolescents in Resisting Oppression and Cultivating Resilience

This study builds on a growing body of research exploring how Australian transgender and gender-expansive (TGE) adolescents navigate structural adversity. Sixteen participants aged 14 to 17 took part in in-depth semi-structured interviews, analyzed through Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA). Two superordinate themes emerged: (1) adaptive strategies of resistance and (2) resilience in the face of oppression. These findings reveal how TGE adolescents employ self-advocacy, community-building, and expressive practices to challenge normative structures. The study calls for more developmentally-informed, affirming practices and highlights the need for supportive environments that foster adolescent identity development and empowerment.