Gender Nonconforming Research Articles

The last pink straw: Children's and parents' judgements about gender nonconformity.

Gender nonconforming (GNC) boys often elicit negative reactions from peers and adults. However, it is unclear which aspects of nonconformity evoke negative social consequences. Are appearance characteristics, activity interests, or traits most impactful for peers' evaluations? Sixty-seven 6- to 11-year-old children and their parents interacted with a magnetic paper doll of a GNC boy who was displayed with feminine appearance characteristics, activity interests, and traits. Participants were allowed to physically remove feminine attributes and/or add masculine and neutral attributes to help the GNC boy make friends with boys. Participants were (1) more likely to change appearance and activities and less likely to change traits and (2) more likely to remove feminine attributes than add masculine and neutral attributes. Interactions between attribute type and gender differed across parents and children. Results suggest that interventions to reduce discrimination towards GNC boys should focus on reducing prejudice towards appearance- and activity-based nonconformity.

A queer feminist posthuman framework for bioethics: on vulnerability, antimicrobial resistance, and justice.

In this paper, I discuss the bioethical principle of justice and the bioethical key concept of vulnerability, in a queer feminist posthuman framework. I situate these contemplations, philosophical by nature, in the context of antimicrobial resistance (AMR), one the most vicious moral problems of our time. Further, I discuss how gender and sexual variance, vulnerability and justice manifest in AMR. I conclude by considering my queer feminist posthuman framework for vulnerability and justice in relation to the notion of antibiotic vulnerabilities, suggesting a lacuna for further AMR research.

Conformed to Gender Conformity? Gender Nonconformity Stigma is Buffered by Personal Contact

Research has shown that individuals from sexual and gender minorities are more likely to be stigmatized. Taking the perceiver’s perspective, we conducted two experimental studies to examine gender nonconformity stigma and the conditions under which such stigma is more (or less) likely to emerge. In both studies, participants were asked to read descriptions of targets varying in gender (non)conformity and assigned sex (Study 1; N = 337) or sexual identity (Study 2; N = 406). Results from both studies showed that participants preferred more social distance from gender nonconforming (vs. conforming) targets, tended to dehumanize them (i.e., attributed them more primary and less secondary emotions), and reported less anti-violence behavioral intentions and justifications. In both studies, results further showed that having more frequent and positive personal contact with gender nonconforming individuals helps buffer against gender nonconformity bias. Unexpectedly, results from Study 2 showed that humanizing gender nonconforming targets (rather than dehumanizing them) was associated with more violence predispositions for participants who reported having more negative personal contact with gender nonconforming individuals. No differences were found according to the targets’ assigned sex or sexual identity. Taken together, our findings highlight the need to understand the causes and boundaries of gender nonconformity bias.

Gender Nonconformity, Minority Stress, and Psychological Distress Among Sexual Minority Adolescents.

Purpose: Sexual minority adolescents (SMAs) have disproportionate experiences of mental health symptoms during adolescence, and minority stress contributes to mental health inequities among SMAs. Gender nonconformity (GNC) could place SMAs at higher risk for minority stress and subsequent mental health symptoms. The current study was designed to examine associations between GNC, minority stress, and psychological distress among SMAs. Method: SMAs ages 12-17 years (n = 455; mean age = 15.52 years) in the United States completed a cross-sectional online survey from February to July 2022, including measures of GNC, peer victimization, family rejection, negative expectations, negative disclosure experiences, internalized homonegativity, and psychological distress. We conducted path analysis to examine associations between GNC, minority stressors, and psychological distress, including indirect effects of GNC on psychological distress via minority stress. Results: In multivariable path analysis adjusted for demographic characteristics, GNC was associated with higher levels of peer victimization and negative expectations and lower internalized homonegativity among SMAs. Higher levels of peer victimization and negative expectations were associated with higher psychological distress. GNC was indirectly related to higher levels of psychological distress via higher peer victimization. Conclusions: The current study is the first to document associations between GNC and multiple minority stress experiences among SMAs, and GNC was indirectly related to psychological distress among SMAs via peer victimization. Although all SMAs would benefit from interventions designed to reduce peer victimization and increase their capacity to cope with minority stress, such interventions may be particularly beneficial for SMAs who are gender nonconforming.

Stories of absence: Experiences of parental and familial rejection among gender-diverse children and young people.

Previous research has demonstrated the positive associations with parental support with better mental health outcomes in gender-diverse young people. However, less is known about what happens within a family structure if an unsupportive parent or family member leaves the family unit and sees the child only on the condition that they present in a way that conforms to their birth gender. This paper will focus on the first interviews with nine families within the wider sample of 39 families in the LOGIC-Q (Longitudinal Outcomes of Gender Identity in Children - qualitative) study who reported they had experienced rejection by a parent or family member after the young person had disclosed their gender non-conformity. These families' narratives are examined through two themes: How rejection impacts visitation, and Moving past the loss of rejection. The families all spoke about how they had adapted to the loss of their family members. They described how any negative impact would have been worse had they stayed living together, or were in contact with, the rejecting family member. Here, it becomes important then to understand the context of why a gender-diverse young person may choose to no longer see a parent or family member.

‘We Don’t Have Any Honor Because We Are khwaja sira’: Police Violence and Discrimination Against the Khwaja Sira Community in Swat, Pakistan

Abstract This qualitative study examines police violence and discriminatory policing practices targeting the third gender community, known in Pakistan as khwaja sira. Employing a phenomenological analysis, we conducted a qualitative study involving in-depth interviews with 45 khwaja sira in Mingora, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan, recruited through purposive and snowball sampling. Using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis of the interview transcripts: two distinct themes emerged regarding the lived experiences of khwaja sira in Swat, Pakistan: experiencing multiple forms of violence by police; and managing abuses of policing power. Findings shed light on the challenges khwaja sira face regarding police violence and misconduct, including neglect from law enforcement officers to register their cases, biased practices within police precincts, and discrimination associated with their engagement in sex work or their gender nonconformity. Findings underscore the need for comprehensive interventions aimed at addressing police violence experienced by the khwaja sira community.

Child-Sacrificing Drag Queens: Historical Antecedents in Disinformative Narratives Supporting the Drag Queen Story Hour Moral Panic

This paper uses critical disinformation studies to analyze claims that LGBTQ+ communities “groom” children at “Drag Queen Story Hour” (DQSH). We identify anti-homosexual narratives in previous moral panics: the 1950s sexual psychopathy laws, Anita Bryant’s 1977 Save Our Children campaign, and the 1980s Satanic ritual abuse panic. Using critical discourse analysis, we find all disinformative narratives from previous moral panics present in the DQSH discourse, while new themes center transgender people and parental rights. We consider concerns over DQSH a moral panic responding to the gradual mainstreaming of gender nonconformity and increase in LGBTQ+ civil rights and social acceptance.

Psychiatrists’ beliefs, awareness, and attitudes toward gender variance: A French cross-sectional study

ObjectivesThe evolution of knowledge and recommendations concerning transgender health has led to various representations, especially for health professionals, that can influence the medical management of transgender individuals. The main objective of this study was to explore the representation of psychiatrists in France regarding gender variance. The secondary objective was to compare these data based on their characteristics. MethodsThis is a cross-sectional observational study based on the distribution in April 2022 of a questionnaire to psychiatrists and psychiatric residents in France. The questionnaire was developed after exploring the results of qualitative studies in the scientific literature. ResultsAmong 359 respondents, 181 were psychiatric residents and 178 were senior psychiatrists. Ninety percent had already met a transgender person in their professional practice. The representations observed among the respondents were heterogeneous. Most respondents did not consider “transgenderism” a symptom of a psychiatric disorder, and nearly all respondents used the gender and name their patients ask for. About 60% reported insufficient knowledge about “transgenderism”, with 86% considering that they had not been trained to adequately support transgender people. ConclusionsThe study reveals that representations, although weakened by a lack of knowledge recognized by psychiatrists, favor a non-pathologizing apprehension of gender variance and recognition of the importance of respecting gender diversity and self-determination. The heterogeneity of representations, as well as the high prevalence of professionals who describe a lack of knowledge, skills, and training, support the need for guidelines and the integration of evidence-based knowledge about gender variance into the psychiatric curriculum.

Gender swapping in massively multiplayer online role-playing games in China: Relationship to gender nonconformity and gender dysphoria

Video games are identified as rich environments for the extension and development of the self. Gender swapping is common in massively multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPGs). Drawing on self-discrepancy theory, this study aims to examine whether variables reflecting actual-ideal self-discrepancy in gender-atypical behaviors and gender identity contribute to gender swapping. Specifically, we examine associations between childhood gender nonconformity (CGN), adulthood gender nonconformity (AGN), gender dysphoria, and gender-swapping. An online survey was conducted with 586 players of MMORPGs in China. CGN, AGN, and gender dysphoria were positively associated with gender-swapping. Gender dysphoria fully mediated the associations between CGN and gender swapping. The current findings indicate the effects of gender-atypical behaviors and gender identity on gender swapping among Chinese MMORPGs players.

Gender discontents? The emergence of trans and gender nonconforming experiences in Ireland’s Gay Community News (1988–1998)

ABSTRACT Research pertaining to the emergence and presence of trans and gender nonconforming identities in press materials has been lacking, particularly within the queer Irish context. This article fills this gap by presenting the findings of a study exploring the emergence of gender nonconformity through the alternative queer media outlet, Gay Community News (GCN). Using the first decade of the GCN’s reportage (1988 to 1998), this article explores 113 issues of GCN, including supplements, deploying textual analysis to uncover how GCN negotiated and represented trans and gender diverse identities. Through this analysis, three key themes relating to trans visibility emerge across this decade: 1. Negotiating the inclusion and exclusion of trans femme identities; 2. Transvestite identity and its normal attachments and 3. Information provision and consciousness-raising. In exploring these themes, this article argues that alternative media have been crucial for the emergence of trans and gender diverse visibility in the Irish queer press. Additionally, it contends that this community is very much minoritised regarding the kinds of inclusions offered to them. While highlighting the activist potential of alternative media like GCN, the article demonstrates that trans visibility was often complex, marred by exclusions and expectations around conformity.

Doing ethics with microbes: toward a queer feminist posthuman framework for bioethics.

The Centre for the Social Study of Microbes (CSSM) at University of Helsinki, Finland is a Wellcome-funded hub for creating new approaches to human-microbial relations. Most urgently, the complex relations between microbes, antimicrobial resistance (in its human-health centered definition, understood as infection and disease now uncurable by antibiotics, threatening human life and wellbeing), animals, environments and climate emergency require new theoretical and methodological approaches. These include a variety of research interest from global fermentation practices and cultures to microbial bioremediation techniques, from aquatic microbes to urban gardens. A key orientation of CSSM is also combining ethnography with artistic and performative practice such as felting, painting, installation, sculpture and audiovisual means, to gain a deeper, more sensory and embodied perspective of our shared lives with microbes. As their agency exists outside textuality, new experimental methodology is needed to engage with it. Thinking with microbes invites many ethical issues that often remain unaddressed in medical and scientific approach. As one of such contributions, we suggest a new framework for bioethics. In a conceptual analysis, a queer feminist posthuman framework aims for radical reorientation of human exceptionalism for more-than-human justice while keeping existing social justice issues between groups of people, such as vulnerabilities cascading around gender and sexual variance, in the same framework. Both a theoretical and practical initiative, seeking to forge solidarity between justice movements, this framework could ground policies relevant to a broader bioethical and philosophical research community, and social scientists studying microbes. This open letter discusses this work at the CSSM.

The Carceral Logic of Female Eligibility Policies: Gender as a Civilizing Narrative, the Science of Sex Testing, and Anti-Trans Legislation1

Female eligibility policies punish people for gender nonconformity and normalize patriarchal rule. These policies were used first to exclude women deemed “too masculine” from competing against women who more closely conform to gender stereotypes. In recent years, this form of discipline has dovetailed with efforts to determine the circumstances, if any, under which transgender women may compete against cisgender women. Modern sport, as a set of institutions, does not stand apart from capitalism, colonialism, white supremacy, and heteropatriarchy. In this article, I use a prison abolitionist lens to connect anti-trans campaigns and female eligibility policies that police sporting identity to the carceral logics of racial capitalism to make the argument that sex surveillance is related to race, social control, and capital accumulation.

Positive masculinity programmes and attitudes towards nonconforming gender identities among young males in urban Democratic Republic of Congo, Nigeria, and Rwanda.

Implementing programmes on sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) in sub-Saharan Africa often involves promoting inclusive sexual identity/orientation. However, whether and how the programmes are changing gender norms in the target populations have not been established. This study was designed to determine whether participation in Positive Masculinity (PM) programmes can change attitudes associated with prevailing gender norms. We explored attitudes towards nonconforming sexual identity/orientation among young males in selected informal settlements in Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Nigeria and Rwanda. The key variables we tested included "country of participation" and other socio-demographics such as "education", "marital status" and "prior residential location" (rural or urban). We found no significant association between participation in PM programmes with attitudes towards nonconforming sexual identities/orientations across our target populations irrespective of educational qualification, marital status, and previous location of residence. By contrast, religious teachings showed up in the qualitative responses as a significant factor influencing young people's resistance to PM programmes' advocating for inclusive sexuality. Additionally, negative masculinity attributes had significant negative association with attitudes towards nonconforming sexual identity, while respondents with violent tendencies showed significant positive attitudes. We conclude that current PM interventions do not significantly contribute to positive attitudes towards inclusive sexuality in DRC, Nigeria, and Rwanda.

Penalizing Nonconformity: Gender Nonconformity at the Intersection of Gender and Sexual Identity in the Labor Market

Penalizing Nonconformity: Gender Nonconformity at the Intersection of Gender and Sexual Identity in the Labor Market

Gender-specific play behavior in relation to autistic traits and behavioral difficulties at the age of seven in the SELMA study.

Childhood gender nonconformity is related to psychological distress and behavioral difficulties. Similarly, there is evidence for a link between gender nonconformity, or gender dysphoria in some studies, and autism spectrum disorder and related traits. Our knowledge on those associations mostly originates from clinical populations, which might lead to overestimation. Thus, this study aimed to assess associations between gender nonconformity and behavioral difficulties in a population-based study. In the Swedish Environmental Longitudinal, Mother and Child, Asthma and Allergy (SELMA) study, cross-sectional associations between gender-specific play behavior and behavioral outcomes and autistic traits were investigated among 718 children at 7-years of age. Play behavior was measured using the Preschool Activities Inventory; behavioral outcomes and autistic traits were measured with the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire and the Social Responsiveness Scale, respectively. Linear and logistic regression analyses were performed. Higher composite play behavior scores (indicating either increased masculine or decreased feminine play behavior) were associated with increased autistic trait scores in girls (β = 0.13; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.00, 0.26). Furthermore, higher composite scores were shown to be associated with behavioral difficulties in both girls (β = 0.11; 95% CI = 0.04, 0.18) and boys (β = 0.10; 95% CI = 0.02, 0.19). Additionally, higher feminine scores were related with increased problems in peer relationships in boys (β = 0.04; 95% CI = 0.00, 0.07). This study suggests a link between gender nonconforming play behavior and autistic traits as well as behavioral difficulties among children in a non-clinical population, which calls attention to the necessity of supporting children with gender nonconformity from early ages.

Linda's Cars versus Dominik's Dolls: How Do Pedagogical Educators in Training React to Children's Violations of Gender Stereotypes?

The gender stereotypes adults hold can influence whether they approve or disapprove of behavior shown by children, depending on whether this behavior is in line with stereotypes. Adults report negative evaluations toward children whose behavior does not adhere to gender stereotypes, particularly toward feminine boys. Whether pedagogical educators in training show negative reactions toward children who violate gender stereotypes has not been examined. We investigate this question by firstly assessing what gender stereotypes adults hold about children in Germany. In Study 1, we assessed descriptive, prescriptive, and proscriptive gender stereotypes identified by adults for children in German society. Stereotypes gathered from this first study were used to construct four vignettes of stereotypical and nonstereotypical boys and girls in order to examine how pedagogical educators in training (N = 414) evaluated these children in Study 2. We investigated ratings of one of these vignettes (2 × 2 between-participants design) regarding liking, perceived competence, creativity, self-esteem, prosocial behavior, as well as internalizing and externalizing problems. A series of ANOVAs revealed that girls displaying masculine behavior received advantageous ratings on competence, creativity, and self-esteem, while boys showing femininity were perceived as the most prosocial. More than gender nonconformity, masculinity and femininity strongly related to externalizing and internalizing problems, respectively. We review how our results in Germany differ from the literature originating in the USA, as we did not find backlash for feminine boys. Possible bias against femininity and toward masculinity within society and cultural and sampling factors is discussed.

A qualitative investigation of tattooing as an adaptive appearance investment: positive body image and eating disorder recovery in a predominantly transgender and gender expansive sample

ABSTRACT Tattooed individuals often express the positive effects of wearing body art toward improved self-image and confidence. This research builds on prior data exploring the positive effects of tattooing and investigates how tattoos impact one’s relationship to eating disorder (ED) recovery and body image. We held three focus groups lasting 60 minutes each, recruiting participants via purposive snowball sampling (n = 15), with additional opportunities to respond to focus group prompts asynchronously. Eligible participants were individuals with lived experience of an ED, self-identified as being in recovery, had three or more tattoos, and spoke English. Participants predominantly held gender-expansive (n = 4 Non-Binary, n = 3 Genderqueer, n = 3 Cisgender Women, n = 3 Transgender, n = 2 Transmasculine, n = 2 Gender Non-Conforming, n = 2 Intersex, n = 1 Cisgender Man) and non-heterosexual identities. Focus groups were held between April 2021 and July 2023 and followed a semi-structured interview format. Primary analyses focused on participants’ responses to open-ended prompts regarding how they understood the relationships between tattooing, body image, and ED recovery. Thematic analysis identified four core themes: Tattooing allowing for embodiment, tattooing allowing for recovery-oriented behaviors, tattooing enabling positive body image, and tattooing facilitating empowerment. An overarching message was that tattooing is a therapeutic and transformative process, allowing for self-determination. Participants indicated that tattooing can be experienced as a powerful mechanism for behavioral change and shifts in relationship to one’s body. Participants expressed that tattooing can be an effective route towards both gender euphoria and body liberation, enhancing one’s ability to maintain ED recovery.

From Feeling Tough to Mental Growth: Coping with Sexual Bullying During Childhood in Gay and Bisexual Men

ABSTRACT This qualitative study was conducted to understand how gay and bisexual men (GBM) in Taiwan cope with childhood bullying because of their sexual orientation or gender nonconformity. We explored their journey from feeling disturbed to receiving social support, developing coping strategies, and achieving self-growth. Colaizzi’s phenomenological approach was used to investigate subject experiences. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 21 GBM who had experienced high-level sexual bullying in childhood. Relevant data were collected to assess their experiences of sexual bullying, their coping strategies, and subjective effects of corresponding adjustments in interpersonal interactions. Subject experiences concentrated on six themes related to sexual bullying and coping strategies: bullying at developmental stages, bullying everywhere, facing bullying alone, various impacts of bullying, overcoming challenges of interpersonal relationships, and building a strong and carefree self. Our findings can provide mental health professionals with key insights into the contexts of sexual bullying and the associated psychological distress in GBM. This study further clarifies the coping responses of these individuals and their psychological growth following such adverse experiences.

Managing, surveying and assisting transgender people in prison: A comparative analysis of staff-members’ positioning toward transgender inmates among different correctional facilities in Italy

Background The present study intends to shed light on the (inter)subjective and professional modalities through which prison workers manage to cope with the presence of incarcerated transgender people in Italy. Method Fourteen semi structured interviews were undertaken with prison-workers in three Italian jails. The transcribed interviews were processed through text-mining-analysis, and an in-depth investigation of these discursive sources was performed to access the sociocultural representation of prison-workers concerning transgender related issues. Results Findings showed different discursive positionings, which vary significantly according to the professional role and gender identity of the interviewees. Although specialized training aimed at improving knowledge on transgender issues and interpersonal skills had been previously provided to all prison-workers, non-transgender affirming behaviors and attitudes continue to be observed. However, they may be the product of the persistence of cultural biases belonging to the more general societal context. Conclusions Specific training programs addressed to prison-workers are certainly necessary, but their real effectiveness should be constantly monitored and verified. At the same time, it seems that an effective improvement of the condition of transgender people within correctional facilities may only be obtained through paradigmatic changes concerning representations about gender nonconformity within the more general Italian culture and society.

Children's gender essentialism and prejudice: Testing causal links via an experimental manipulation.

Despite increases in visibility, gender-nonconforming young people continue to be at risk for bullying and discrimination. Prior work has established that gender essentialism in children correlates with prejudice against people who do not conform to gender norms, but to date no causal link has been established. The present study investigated this link more directly by testing whether children's gender essentialism and prejudice against gender nonconformity can be reduced by exposure to anti-essentialist messaging. Children ages 6-10 years of age (N=102) in the experimental condition viewed a short video describing similarities between boys and girls and variation within each gender; children in the control condition (N=102) viewed a corresponding video describing similarities between two types of climate and variation within each. Children then received measures of gender essentialism and prejudice against gender nonconformity. Finally, to ask whether manipulating children's gender essentialism extends to another domain, we included assessments of racial essentialism and prejudice. We found positive correlations between gender essentialism and prejudice against gender nonconformity; both also correlated negatively with participant age. However, we observed no differences between children in the experimental versus control conditions in overall essentialism or prejudice, indicating that our video was largely ineffective in manipulating essentialism. Accordingly, we were unable to provide evidence of a causal relationship between essentialism and prejudice. We did, however, see a difference between conditions on the discreteness measure, which is most closely linked to the wording in the video. This finding suggests that specific aspects of essentialism in young children may be modifiable. RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS: Consistent with prior research, we found that greater gender essentialism was associated with greater prejudice against gender-nonconforming children; both decreased with age. We randomly assigned children to view either an anti-essentialist video manipulation or a control video to test if this relation was causal in nature. The anti-essentialist video did not reduce overall essentialism as compared to the control, so we did not find support for a causal link. We observed a reduction in the dimension of essentialism most closely linked to the anti-essentialist video language, suggesting the potential utility of anti-essentialist messaging.