A new poll is out and it shows that 70 percent support us, and the 30 percent?
Research finds most adults support trans rights – but it depends on where they get their news
The Hill
By Brooke Migdon
March 29, 2022
Story at a glance
- More than 70 percent of adults believe transgender people should have equal rights and be protected from violence and discrimination, according to a new report from the Human Rights Campaign Foundation.
- According to the report, outlets like Fox News, Breitbart, The Daily Wire and Newsmax “especially” contribute to the erasure of trans and nonbinary communities.
- Almost 80 percent of adults who consume mostly left-leaning media said they believed transgender people deserve support and healthcare that affirms their “authentic gender.”
Media coverage of issues related to the transgender community has a significant impact on society’s perception of trans individuals, according to new research from the Human Rights Campaign Foundation. Often, media sources – either intentionally or inadvertently – perpetuate stereotypes and further stigmatization of trans and nonbinary people in the way they cover them.
[…]
A Pew Research Center report published over the summer found that more than 40 percent of U.S. adults personally know someone who is transgender, and those that do are more likely to say that greater acceptance of trans people is good for society in general.
According to the HRC report, which collected data from more than 4,000 American adults, more than 70 percent of those surveyed believe trans people should “have equal rights and be able to live free of violence and discrimination.”
The report also identified where we need to do more work.
On this week of Trans Visibility a Human Rights Campaign report stated that,
Trans visibility is a counter to the invisibility of trans and non-binary people that is too often prevalent in the news and media. For decades, when trans people were represented, they were portrayed negatively and as outsiders from mainstream society.
These portrayals have significant real-world effects. Some of the first and most common ways both trans and cisgender people learn about trans and non-binary people is through the news and media. Negative portrayals create a stigma around the trans community that impacts their safety and well-being. It may also cause people questioning their gender to become fearful of the consequences of living openly. These portrayals often expose cisgender people to disinformation, which may cause them to be less likely to support friends, family members and acquaintances who come out as trans or non-binary.
In contrast, positive trans visibility in the news and media is a powerful tool for changing hearts and minds and reminding viewers, particularly cisgender people, that the trans community is also part of their community. It reduces stigma and sends the message that living openly is okay. It also allows cisgender people to see authentic trans narratives rather than stereotypes that fuel the marginalization of trans and non-binary people.
Just look at Pride coverage, how many times have you seen only drag queens covered in the news about the event? When I first started doing outreach with a speaker bureau in the very early 2000s many students were surprised when I showed up in jeans and sneakers. Many thought that would show up wearing bouffant hairdos, stiletto high heels, miniskirt, and tons of makeup. That was because of the news media portrayal of us, it has changed over the years but still many media outlets still show only drag queens.
The Hill article ends with…
A majority of respondents – 51 percent – who consume only right-leaning news said they could best serve transgender and nonbinary people by “helping them to live as the sex they were born,” or their sex assigned at birth. Just over 30 percent of adults who consume right-leaning news agreed that trans people seek equal treatment under the law.
On the opposite end of the spectrum, nearly 80 percent of adults who consume mostly left-leaning media or media that does not include right-leaning sources said they believed “any transgender person deserves support and healthcare that helps them to live as their authentic gender.”
Come out, come out wherever you are (But only if it is safe.).
No comments:
Post a Comment