Anti-Transgender Prejudice: Causes, Consequences, and Interventions

Transgender people have become increasingly visible in recent decades as their identities and existences have been made issues of public concern, and as a global movement for recognition and rights has emerged. As with all minoritized groups, prejudice against transgender people is common, and it has profound social, cultural, political, psychological, and public health repercussions. Yet the factors underlying anti-transgender prejudice, the consequences of that prejudice, and the interventions used to mitigate it are somewhat unique given the complex intertwining of various social and personality dynamics involved. It is therefore helpful to analyze these dynamics and the myriad ways they differ across national and cultural contexts. Moreover, it is imperative to uplift the voices of those who experience its effects and identify means of minimizing anti-transgender prejudice.

Our Research Topic aims to address the literature’s limited understanding of anti-transgender prejudice, as well as the means to prevent or reduce it. We aim to promote and facilitate research being done around the world to both understand and actively work to reduce the marginalization, discrimination, and oppression experienced by transgender people and people holding identities considered closely related to transgender identity (e.g., hijra, kathoey, etc.). This Research Topic will provide a platform for the voices of those who have experienced the effects of anti-transgender prejudice and related experiences, as well as of those working to understand such prejudice’s causes and consequences. We further hope to identify and test the efficacy of various interventions to reduce prejudice and increase resilience and community-building among transgender people and allied groups/movements.

We welcome contributions across a diverse set of relevant topics, including but not limited to:
• The accurate and effective measurement of anti-transgender attitudes, beliefs, opinions, and experiences;
• Mechanisms underlying the presentation and reduction of anti-transgender prejudice;
• The effects of media and interpersonal contact on anti-transgender prejudice;
• The relationship between prejudice and public opinion on transgender rights issues;
• Transgender individuals’ experiences of internalized transphobia;
• How transgender people navigate experiences of prejudice;
• Tests of the efficacy of interventions to reduce anti-transgender prejudice;
• The treatment of issues related to anti-transgender prejudice in schools, colleges and universities;
• The consequences of anti-transgender prejudice in transgender people’s experiences with health care systems.
• The cultural-psychological foundations of (attitudes toward) transgender identities and gender-nonconforming sexuality

We welcome research of all methodological and theoretical orientations and articles of the following types: Original Research, Systematic Review, Methods, Review, Policy & Practice Review, Perspective, Case Report, Community Case Study, Policy Brief, Brief Research Report, and Opinion.