Navigating The Shadows: Unveiling Various Effects of Transphobia

Although segments of the population today are generally more tolerant and accepting of members of the LGBTQ+ community than in the past, the transphobic “epidemic” is still strong, still growing, and still negatively affecting transgender indidivudals’ mental and emotional wellbeing, as well as their safety and health. As of 2016, there were approximately 1.4 million adults in the United States who identify as transgender. That number is multiplying rapidly, and prejudices against this population are increasing exponentially with that growth.

Therse prejudices exist in both the large scale, as seen in the high rate of hate crimes and job discrimination, and on the smaller scale of microaggressions from family and friends. The FBI says that Anti-LGBTQ+ crimes are rising at a rapid pace. One in two transgender individuals are sexually abused or assaulted at least once in their lives, and this number is even higher in “transgender youth, transgender people of color, indivuduals living with diablilities, homeless individuals, and those who are involved in the sex trade”. Additionally, half of the people who die in violent crimes against the LGBTQ+ community are transgender women. Microaggressions and transphobia are the building blocks of these hate crimes that transgender individuals must face every day.

Transphobia Effects on Mental Health State and Career Choices  

Transphobia negatively affects the mental health of transgender individuals. Suicidal ideation, isolation, shame, and alienation are all the mental consequences of transphobia that transgendered people face. The biases of those around them often prevent them from getting hired, and can cause safety concerns (hate crimes, sexual abuse/assault, domestic violence). The fear of being unemployable and the fear of being harmed also deeply affect a transgender individuals mental health.

Because of the mental health effects the transgender community faces, transphobia is often a topic in pop psychology magazines, like Psychology Today. In a recent article in this magazine, the author discusses three studies that seek to understand what causes transphobia. The researchers found that transphobia is more prevalent among people who highly value the gender binary. They feel the “distinctiveness threat,” which is any action or person that does not adequately fit their concept of their gender group. Since our groups define us, clear gender boundaries are perceived to be important. How we wear our hair, our names, and our clothes all help tell us who we are. Transphobia occurs when people step outside of the gender norms for these outward appearances. The studies also found that trans people who conformed to the original opposite gender were the most threatening.

Transphobia negatively impacts transgender individuals’ career choices and potential for promotions, family relations and friendships, health and safety, and their mental health. I have seen this in my own life, when I was a teen living in a small town in Arkansas. I was friends with a transgender boy, and transphobia followed him everywhere. His parents were not supportive and emotionally, verbally, and physically abused him. He was adamant about not seeking help because he was afraid of what any counselor or doctor might say since the town was very conservative. He was bullied at school and teachers often misgendered him on purpose. Seeing his experience motivated me to research and write about transphobia. The purpose of this paper is to educate myself about transphobia and to share that knowledge so that boys like my friend will one day be able to find kinder, more enlightened people to walk through life with him. I will examine these issues through the behavioral, social-cultural, and humanistic psychological perspectives.

Various Perspective for Studying the Issue of Transphobia in the Society

The humanistic perspective approaches the study of transphobia in both gender-conforming and in transgender people who have internalized transphobia to look for ways both groups can rise above ingrained biases to become more open and enlightened, both about other’s sexuality and about their own. Humanistic psychologists studied a group of transgender men in Italy. They surveyed them for feelings of shame, depression, internalized transphobia, anxiety and resilience. They also asked about any anti-transgender discriminiation experiences they may have had. These researchers focused on the Minority Stress Theory, which is the theory that minority groups like the transgender community feel stress because they are in the minority and the majority feels prejudiced against them. The researchers found high resilience was the only prevention against anxiety and depression from being discriminated against by the majority. This high resilience was typically found from either a romantic relationship or support group, and was a strong deterrent to internalized transphobia as well. The study’s authors concluded that counselors should focus on helping clients view their self-image as less focused on binary gender.

When viewed from a behavioral standpoint, it is clear that microaggressions toward transgender people exhibit transphobia in hidden, subtle ways. Microaggressions are words or behaviors that show disdain and hostility toward oppressed groups, like the transgender community, in a casual way. One study focused on twelve types of microaggressions experienced by transgender people. These microaggressions include incorrect pronoun usage, assuming all transgender people are alike, treating transgender people as tokens, and condemnation. When confronted with microagressions, the reactions of transgender individuals can vary, but the study found three themes in the behavioral responses to transphobic microaggressions: direct confrontation, indirection confrontation, and passive coping. Microaggressions can be committed by both those supportive and unsupportive of the transgender community. Because even well-intentioned people can be blind to the negative effects on the transgender community, it is imperative that the general public, and especially those who work closely with the transgender community, are educated on implicit bias and microaggressions. To work to minimize the occurrence of microaggressions toward the transgender community, psychologists and teachers can play a key role. People in authority should be encouraged to take an Implicit Bias Test, such as the one created by Harvard University. Psychologists can reflect on their own implicit biases and can be aware of any microaggressions they have committed. Teachers can educate their students about microaggressions, and help to create a more tolerant and respectful generation. And since both teachers and psychologists have opportunities to interact closely with transgender people, their efforts to minimize microaggressions are critical in solving the behavioral problem of transphobia.

Socioculturally, there is a stark difference between the way that Western culture views transgender people and the way that some indigeous cultures view them. In the United States, much of society looks down on those who identify as transgender and often hides them from the spotlight of mainstream media. In contrast, one indigenous culture in Mexico places those who do not identify with their birth-assigned gender on a pedestal, both historically and in the present. They are viewed as “two-spirited” and are seen as wise leaders, who have been blessed as both a male and a female. These two-spirited individuals are transgender, intersex, and gender nonconforming individuals. This reverence is especially seen in matriarchal native communities where a man identifying as a woman is commended. In contrast to the transphobic prejudice and violence in the United States, the indigenous Zapotec culture in Mexico throws parties celebrating “muxes” (transgender individuals who identify as a “third gender”), despite the majority of Mexico not accepting transgender people. Socio-cultural psychologists look to this knowledge of other cultures celebrating transgendered people to inspire and empower their transgendered clients, guiding them to self-acceptance.

Conclusion

After examining transphobia from different perspectives, I saw that the impact of transphobia has spread dangerously throughout society. To combat this, we must take multiple approaches. From a humanistic perspective, group therapy can be used to help develop a higher sense of resilience in groups of transgender individuals, while also creating a strong sense of community and belonging. From a behavioral perspective, psychologists and teachers should educate themselves and others so as to minimize the amount of microaggressions against the transgender community. From a sociocultural perspective, individuals can be intentionally openminded about transgender people. Just as workplaces and schools strive to be culturally responsive and anti-racist, they can also work to minimize transphobia and ignorance in their spaces as well.

Upon reflecting on my experience while writing this paper, I was forced to realize my own privilege as a cisgender woman, and my own subconscious biases towards the transgender community. As a cisgender individual, I have never experienced the microaggressions that transgender people have to face from their peers, families, school, and work environments every day. This research showed me that society has much to do to fight transphobia. My role in this is to educate myself, my friends, and others, and to call out microaggressions when I see them. I can encourage my peers and my family to be mindful of their language surrounding transgender rights and experiences. I believe that if I know better, I can do better. As a society, we can strive to do better each day.

References 

1. Lombardi, Emilia L., et al. 'Gender minority stress in transgender individuals: A review of the literature.' Health & Social Work, vol. 37, no. 2, 2012, pp. 175-186.

2. Bockting, Walter O., and Kimberly A. Colton Meier. 'Transgender identity and suicidality in a nonclinical sample: Sexual orientation, psychiatric history, and compulsive behaviors.' Journal of Psychology & Human Sexuality, vol. 18, no. 1, 2006, pp. 69-92.

3. Grant, Jaime M., et al. 'Injustice at every turn: A report of the National Transgender Discrimination Survey.' National LGBTQ Task Force, 2011.

4. Meyer, Ilan H. 'Prejudice, social stress, and mental health in lesbian, gay, and bisexual populations: Conceptual issues and research evidence.' Psychological Bulletin, vol. 129, no. 5, 2003, pp. 674-697.

5. Testa, Rylan J., et al. 'Effects of violence on transgender people.' Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, vol. 42, no. 5, 2011, pp. 452-459.

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6. Nuttbrock, Larry, et al. 'Gender abuse, depressive symptoms, and substance use among transgender women: A 3-year prospective study.' American Journal of Public Health, vol. 103, no. 5, 2013, pp. 927-933.