Constructivism over Determinism: A Review of Two Conflicting Approaches to Voice Feminisation for Transgender Females

The literal voice is a principal contributor to identity construction. Consequently, it is a common source of gender dysphoria for transgender females undergoing voice feminisation. Much of the research in this field has primarily viewed this phenomenon from a determinist perspective, equating physiology with vocal identity. Although many approaches to voice feminisation rely on this predominately physiological point of view, objective measures defining voice femininity are not always correlated with transgender client satisfaction (Dacakis et al., 2017: 835–37). This evidence demonstrates the need to look at the voice more constructively—or as a conglomeration of many social, physical and cultural factors—in therapeutic voice interventions. Previously reported clinical outcomes and empirical research concerning the links between the voice and gender identity give credence to this constructivist perspective, which must be more heavily emphasised in transgender voice feminisation approaches moving forward.