Mikey Daley

Transgender and nonbinary (TNB) people's romantic relationships may fulfill or undermine certain psychological needs relating to their gender identity. There is also evidence that friendships are an important source of support for many TNB people. Thus, the current study, administered as an online survey to 116 TNB participants, sought to compare the frequency of identity-related support in TNB people's platonic relationships with the strength of support received from romantic partners. A positive correlation was found between platonic and romantic support, indicating that participants who received support from one relationship were likely to receive support from the other as well. Platonic support was also significantly correlated with fulfillment of general psychological needs and pride in one's TNB identity, but not with nonaffirming experiences or psychological distress. An additional open-ended question was administered alongside the quantitative question to determine specific types of support received from friendships. Five broad types of support were identified: support/affirmation, acceptance, education/advocacy, discussions/reassurance, and identity-related guidance. Future research should utilize this framework to better understand similarities and differences between support from friendships and romantic relationships.