Ghostly Presences Out There

The COVID-19 pandemic has been a horror for the vast majority of us, however it has been particularly nasty for girls and women, who bear the brunt of the social, emotional and economic impacts of the pandemic. This goes doubly for teenage girls. As a mother of teenagers, I can attest that the grind has been nothing short of brutal. However, as a scholar in gender diverse childhoods it has been gutting to watch the miseries unfold for transgender girls and young women who, isolated from face to face support and hold up in new pandemic closets, have struggled to be seen and aided in sense-making, even by the most supportive parents. The phantasmic reality of living under covid has yielded to an even more difficult to pin down discomfort, a deep unease, that afflicts gender diverse girls. With help from my research participants—generous, kind young women and their families–I have told a story in CBR format here.

Even if you are not yourself a gender diverse or transgender girl, know that what Lily experiences in this story may resonate with you. The ghosts, as we all know, are absolutely everywhere. No wonder we feel by turns terrified, out of sorts, unwell, uneasy and even hopeful in the midst of our horror. It goes on.

Galman, S. C. (2020). Ghostly presences out there: Transgender girls and their families in the time of COVID. Girlhood Studies, 13 (3) 79-97. https://doi.org/10.3167/ghs.2020.130307