No longer invisible, but still mistreated: Trans minors and the Spanish digital press (2006-2020)

Abstract

ABSTRACT The increase in media attention towards trans issues in the last two decades has contributed to reinforcing its visibility. However, the media coverage of trans minors has hardly been addressed by previous literature. The objective of this study is to analyze the media coverage of trans children and adolescents in the Spanish digital press during the period 2006–2020. To do that, this article has conducted a quantitative content analysis combining manual coding and rule-based text classification. The results confirm that the media coverage of trans minors has increased. Most of the analyzed delegitimization patterns of trans people have decreased over the years, although they remain relatively stable during the last period. Contrary to what could be thought, childhood and adolescence do not seem to act as a protective factor against media delegitimization. These findings suggest that trans children are at the front-page of Spanish public debate. Despite the increasing visibility of trans minors, they continue to be mistreated in the media. In fact, trans children may be even more questioned than adults. All in all, this study underlines the importance of trans minors in the news coverage of trans issues and, in extension, in the fight for trans rights.