Transition Like an Egyptian: Investigating Transgender Experiences with Violence in Egypt

Transgender individuals in Egypt belong to marginalised communities that operate within a sensitive security context. This context is shaped by a complex interplay of legal, social, religious, and medical structures that perpetuate anti-transgender violence, threatening their existence in both public and private spheres. Despite the intricacies of their experiences within these violent frameworks, transgender issues remain largely invisible in academic literature, with only two studies employing participatory empirical methods to shed light on transgender experiences in Egypt. The experiences of transgender individuals in the country are notably complex and resist singular characterisation; even the term “transgender” lacks a generally accepted definition, with experiences varying significantly based on factors such as socio-economic class and family acceptance. Nonetheless, there are commonalities among these diverse experiences which contribute to a broader understanding of transgender issues in Egypt. This study adopts qualitative interdisciplinary approaches to address existing limitations by conducting in-depth semi-structured interviews and focus group discussions with 15 transgender Egyptians. This methodology contextualises their experiences and analyses their interactions with the anti-transgender violent structures that shape their lives within the Arabic-speaking Middle East and North Africa (MENA) context, specifically in Egypt.