Reporting on transgender victims of homicide: Practices of misgendering, sourcing and transparency

Abstract

Media representations of violence against transgender individuals have implications for public opinion, awareness and policy. A sample (N = 212) of U.S. mainstream news articles about 53 transgender 2018–2019 victims of homicide were studied by content analysis and qualitative methods. About 13% of articles referred to victims by their deadnames (no longer used birthnames), but about 18% of articles drew attention to the harms of misidentification. Deadnaming declined significantly from 2018 to 2019. About 30% of the full sample discussed violence against transgender individuals in social context. Police and transgender community advocates were sources in 80% and 50% of articles, respectively.

Gender-Based Violence and Post-traumatic Stress Disorder Symptoms Predict HIV PrEP Uptake and Persistence Failure Among Transgender and Non-binary Persons Participating in a PrEP Demonstration Project in Southern California

“…The current findings also suggest that PTSD symptoms may serve as a significant barrier to continued engagement in HIV prevention programs and may be predictive of early PrEP discontinuation among some TGNB persons. Given the disproportionately high rates of violence enacted against TGNB persons [2,3], it is likely rates of PTSD are elevated as well. Failure to enact laws and policies that recognize and protect TGNB people from discrimination in housing, educational settings, employment, and in health care has enabled the proliferation of ongoing stigma, discrimination, and violence, potentially resulting in higher rates of PTSD [2].…”

“…Violence against transgender and non-binary (TGNB) persons (persons whose gender identity differs from the sex they were assigned at birth) has deleterious effects on the health and wellbeing of TGNB persons including increasing HIV risk [1][2][3]. While little is currently known about the impact of gender-based violence (GBV) on engagement in HIV prevention behaviors such as pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) among TGNB persons, a recent study found PrEP use 1 3 to be negatively associated with recent experience of violence generally [4].…”

“…Prior research suggests that violence against TGNB persons is alarmingly common, with an estimated prevalence as high as 89% in the United States (U.S.) [2]. From 2013 to 2021, there were at least 241 reported murders of TGNB in the U.S., likely an underestimate of murder rates due to frequent misgendering and underreporting of violence against TGNB people by police and the media, as well as a lack of GBV surveillance among TGNB in the U.S. [3]. GBV against TGNB persons is rooted in the broader social and structural context of marginalization that creates environments where anti-transgender violence is tolerated and normalized [2].…”

The (r)evolution of transsexuality in the news media: The case of the Spanish digital press (2000-2020)

“…The academic literature has found empirical evidence that the media do not always respect the sexual identity of women and men in a situation of transsexuality and they also question its stability (e.g. Åkerlund, 2019; Billard, 2016; Capuzza, 2016; DeJong et al, 2021; Gupta, 2019; Osborn, 2021; Seely, 2021). The wrong body discourse (e.g.…”

Scope and Nature of Fatal Violence Against Transgender Individuals in the U.S.

“…Journalists and others are beginning to bring attention to the issue of misgendering (Seely, 2021); the Associated Press Stylebook, for example, is continuously updated to give guidance on how to properly report on the LGBTQ population (Froke, 2018). This is relevant FATAL VIOLENCE AGAINST TRANSGENDER INDIVIDUALS because the media has an influential role in the handling and social response to homicide cases.…”