First Advisor
Jennifer Dill
Term of Graduation
January 2026
Date of Publication
1-1-2026
Document Type
Dissertation
Language
English
Subjects
Art, Gender, Mobility justice, Transgender, Transportation, Travel behavior
Physical Description
1 online resource ( pages)
Abstract
Transgender and genderdiverse people face discrimination and harassment in public when making trips in Portland, OR (Lubitow et al., 2017). People who identify as genderdiverse or transgender create unique travel behavior due to the influence of their internalized and expressed gender identity and through interactions in public. This dissertation examines how gender identity influences the travel behavior of genderdiverse and transgender people and how these experiences influence their subjective wellbeing when making trips in Portland, Oregon. Traditional one-on-one interviews were conducted in conjunction with allowing the interviewees to produce art as a non-verbal form of expression and communication of their experiences making trips in Portland. Using thematic analysis, insights were gained through document verbal and non-verbal communication from interviews and physical art. This distinctive methodology facilitated deep trust and care with the participants, which allowed for richer data collection during the interview process. The act of building an art-supported rapport based on participants’ reflections and engagement during interviews, appeared to foster deeper emotional sharing. This resonates with arts-based research that emphasizes the role of creative expression in building trust and co-creating meaning within qualitative inquiry (Leavy, 2015; Kapitan, 2010). The literature review reveals a significant gap in transportation research regarding the lived experiences of transgender and genderdiverse individuals. While mobility justice and feminist geography have broadened understandings of how identity intersects with travel, few studies have examined the emotional, social, and embodied aspects of daily movement for those who do not conform to binary gender categories. This dissertation addresses that gap by expanding the scope of transmobilities (Lubitow et al., 2017) to include not only experiences with public transit but also a range of modes, affective responses, and gender expressions. Through a qualitative, art-informed methodology, the study explores how genderdiverse individuals navigate travel in urban spaces, how those experiences influence their decision-making, and how transportation systems impact their wellbeing. The thematic analysis revealed the complex feelings and experiences of participants’ wellbeing when traveling in Portland. Fear of violence and the need to be vigilant were common among participants. Also, performing their specific gender identity to varying degrees of passing was important for their personal wellbeing and perceived personal safety. These findings speak to the distinct mobility needs of genderdiverse and transgender individuals and illustrate how their travel behavior is shaped by systemic marginalization and, in some cases, public exposure to threat or violence, conditions widely documented in existing research (Grant et al., 2011; Lubitow et al., 2017; Weintrob et al., 2021). With the current sociopolitical climate and government-led targeting against the genderdiverse and transgender community, it is imperative we recognize the work needed to make our streets, sidewalks, and transit systems safer and comfortable for all. This dissertation contributes to the growing field of mobility justice; specifically, this research analyses the lived travel experiences of genderdiverse and transgender individuals in Portland, Oregon.
Rights
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Recommended Citation
Puczkowskyj, Nicholas Michael, "Expanding Transmobilities: Understanding Genderdiverse and Transgender Travel Behavior Through an Art-Informed Methodology" (2026). Dissertations and Theses. Paper 7145.