A Trans Agent of Social Change in Incarceration: A Psychobiographical Study of Natasha Keating

Intro: This psychobiography focuses on the advocacy work of Natasha Keating, a trans woman incarcerated in two male prisons in Australia between 2000 and 2007. Incarcerated trans women are a vulnerable group who experience high levels of victimization and discrimination. However, Natasha advocated for her rights while incarcerated and this advocacy contributed to substantial changes in the carceral system. This psychobiography uses psychological understandings of resilience as well as the Transgender Resilience Intervention Model (TRIM) to investigate the factors that enabled this advocacy. Methods: Data consisted of an archive of letters written by Natasha and interviews with individuals who knew her well. This psychobiography was guided by du Plessis’ (2017) 12-step approach and included the identification of psychological saliencies and the construction of a Multilayered Chronological Chart. Results: Natasha’s life is presented in four chapters, with each chapter including a discussion of resilience based on the TRIM. Conclusion: The TRIM suggests that during incarceration Natasha was able to access more group level resilience factors than at any other time in her life. This, combined with individual resilience factors, enabled her advocacy. This finding has implications for advocacy in general as it highlights the importance of both individual and group level factors in enabling individuals to effectively advocate for change in their environments