Abstract
This study is one of few to explore and describe African American transgender women's experiences of violence (i.e., trans-specific microaggression, verbal assault, physical assault, incarceration, and racism) and the coping strategies they use to minimize the effects of victimization. A review of the existing literature provided direction for the exploratory research questions that guided the development of the 25-item interview protocol. Ten participants (ages 27-49 years, mean age = 36 years old) were interviewed. The primary researcher conducted face-to-face interviews with all of the participants, the recordings were transcribed, and the data was analyzed by a research team of four judges using a qualitative research methodology guided by Consensual Qualitative Research (CQR; Hill, 2012). The analyses were reviewed by an outside auditor and a research consultant. Data analysis revealed four domains, eight core ideas, 16 categories, and 12 subcategories. Study strengths include exploratory investigation of an unexamined phenomenon, diversity in participant's demographics, and research methodology. Limitations of this study include self-selection and self-report bias. Future research directions and implications for practice are discussed.