The Narrative of Self in Opposition to One's Sex

the Case of a Person with "Gender Identity Disorder"

Abstract

The subject of this paper, "Haru" desired to change gender from female to male. Using data obtained mainly through interviews with Haru, this paper examined how Haru, a person with GID, learned to live with GID and also relates his personal account of GID. This data was then analyzed from the self-narrative perspective. Haru chose to divide his narrative into two parts: pre coming-out and post coming-out. In addition, a "transition" story was identified in the dialogue process, linking the two parts of the story. Haru's self-narrative, pre coming-out, shifted back & forth in terms of his understanding of his sexuality. The transition story contained a self-narrative by which Haru explained that he had a disorder. He expressed his disorder as it related to several contexts: personal, social and medical. Post coming-out, Haru's self-narrative was divided into seven phases.