Media FAIL in Coverage of Study on Gender Conformity and Abuse
“Gender Uncertainty Risky for Kids.”
“Child Gender Nonconformity Linked to Higher Risk of Abuse.”
“Kids Who Veer From Gender Norms at Higher Risk for Abuse.”
“Gender identity issues can harm kids’ mental health.”
These are just a few of the headlines that have been used in pieces referencing a new study on gender conformity in children and risk factors for abuse. Similar headlines have been published in virtually every mainstream media (MSM) outlet including CNN, ABC News, and the AP.
Framing the issue in this way smacks of victim blaming and transphobia, for three reasons:
This coverage conflates being transgender and being gender nonconforming/veering from gender norms. While there may be overlap in the categories, being trans is not the same thing as being gender non-conforming, and there are tons of gender non-confroming people who may not identify as trans. The study dealt with gender nonconformity among kids under the age of 11, and its findings should be reported as applying to that category, which could include but is certainly not limited to children who identify as transgender.
Secondly, this kind of framing make it sound like gender non-conforming kids are to blame for their own abuse. Trans is a gender identity, not a”risky behavior.” Where are the headlines putting blame on the perpetrators of violence and abuse against trans youth? I think you’d be hard pressed to find a headline like “Parents more likely to abuse children who identify as trans,” even though that’s at least equally as accurate a description of the study and its findings.
[ … ]
please read the commentary.
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If there was one concept I would like to tattoo onto every living human’s brain… well I can think of a whole lot of...
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Who would have thought...people born in generations previous to ours would generally be...
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bolding a different passage because GOD DAMN YES (also this reminds me of the study that said there’s a correlation...
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AWESOME! Wish I could always be that eloquent. :p
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As a transgender kid with abuse (both pre and post age 11) in his past, this is real. This is a problem. I have been...
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