Representation without presence? Trans* interests in electoral politics

Trans* citizens and their interests have been historically excluded from electoral politics. Trans* rights and interests increasingly receive political attention. Yet, elected and appointed trans* politicians are almost completely absent. Trans* citizens must rely on others to represent their interests. Who are representing trans* interests, why and how? Building on transgender studies and political representation theory we analyze how trans* citizens are represented in the German and Dutch parliament and how their interests have been framed over the last decade. We combine qualitative text analysis of over 250 parliamentary documents on trans* interests with 15 in-depth interviews with key actors: trans* and cisgender representatives, candidates and social movement leaders. We map the factors that hinder or facilitate representation of trans* interests and show how gender is framed in the struggle for trans* rights. We find that (violations of) trans* rights are more politicized in Germany than in the Netherlands, leading to more visibility but also to increased backlash. Whether or not issues make it to the political agenda depends on the political opportunities created by critical political actors, the media and activists.