Search Results: transgender people (1584)

[…] a mental health disorder. … And I’m sorry, it is not compassionate to affirm a kid’s confusion.” The term “transgenderism” is used by anti-transgender activists to dehumanize transgender people and reduce who they are to “a condition” or a “dangerous ideology” and medical consensus states that being transgender is not a mental health condition. Ramaswamy […]

[…] (while speech targeting ideologies is allowed). Anti-trans figures and groups continue to promote the term online and offline as a dog whistle expressing contempt and hatred of transgender people. “Transtrender“ Screenshot, Twitter/X This misguided and false trope claims that trans and/or non-binary people are not really trans, but are merely following modern “trends” of gender exploration for social or online capital. The trope is also intertwined with the hate-driven conspiracy theories of “gender ideology” and “social contagion” which falsely state that the trans experience is learned, a choice, and is consciously adopted from others, rather than an innate identity. Like the transphobic “transvestigation” trope, “transtrender” has not yet been debunked by major fact-checking sites. The Trans Language Primer offers a thorough, yet concise debunking: “A derogatory term used most often by transmedicalists and TERFs to imply that certain people only identify as transgender because it is trendy— often trans youth and non-binary people. This is false; the rise in people identifying as trans is due to greater visibility, representation, and education that allows more people to learn about the language that describes their experiences earlier and in places where that language hasn’t been common before.” Wiktionary accurately describes the term as derogatory (note that there are deeper layers of discussion of the concept within the trans community itself), and a 2017 Quartz article on alt-right neologisms offers a history of its transphobic origins on Reddit. This trope is also another example of how hate and misinformation are often entwined together in a given meme or concept. “Transvestigation“ Screenshot, “TRANSVESTIGATION OF MADONNA,” YouTube This hate-driven conspiracy theory emerged in early 2017 and has had a resurgence as an anti-trans trope in 2023-2024. The practice maliciously targets cisgender public figures — from Madonna to Melania Trump to Olympic boxer Imane Khelif to Kyle Rittenhouse — and then “investigates” them offering fake pseudo-scientific “evidence” that they are transgender (with the underlying bigoted and ignorant implication that being a transgender person is a bad thing). This is a notable example of how transphobic hate impacts everyone — as the targets of the harassment are cisgender people. A June 2024 analysis by Media Matters for America further contextualizes the trope: “These false accusations come amid a broader ‘trans panic’ encouraged by right-wing media and politicians.” Content related to this form of anti-transgender hate runs rampant across all social media platforms in many forms, including crowd-sourced Facebook groups, individual posts (like this one targeting Jennifer Aniston), and YouTube playlist compilations. As an example, this now private, 27-minute video entitled, “TRANSVESTIGATION of MADONNA — Undeniable PROOF!!! ‘SHE’ is a MAN!” constructs this conspiracy theory with a framing asserting that Madonna’s body-type is that of someone assigned male at birth. The video offers a faux-scientific analysis of the pop star’s anatomy which serves as a vehicle for a lengthy diatribe of dehumanizing anti-trans tropes and rhetoric. Although the “transvestigation” trope is not expressly identified as hate speech by social media platforms, experts on anti-LGBTQ hate and disinformation (including GLAAD) are clear that such dehumanizing attacks on peoples’ bodies and identities are a harmful form of bullying and harassment. “Troon” Screenshot, Facebook The Online Hate Research and Education Project defines this derogatory anti-trans word as: “A slur used by transphobes to refer to and dehumanize transgender women. The term is a portmanteau of the words ‘trans’ and ‘goon,’ and carries the connotation that those accused of being ‘troons’ are using gender identity to hide sinister and potentially violent ends.” According to Harvard Cyberlaw Clinic instructor Alejandra Caraballo, the term first appeared on the Something Awful internet forum where users referred to themselves as “goons.” This usage became far more targeted and derisive on Kiwi Farms, a notorious anti-trans online forum known for mass-organized stalking, doxxing, stealing, and harassment, including prompting the suicides of three trans people targeted by members. The forum singled out trans and neurodivergent people as part of its harassment campaigns, which in some cases led to dangerous cases of “swatting,” where members would make false calls to law enforcement, who would show up armed to victims’ homes. (In September 2022, Cloudflare blocked the site, which signaled to other internet infrastructure providers that Kiwi Farms was a liability.) The term has reached even broader use in early 2023 as social media accounts that target trans people (such as the formerly-suspended but now re-platformed @Troonytoons Twitter/X account) use the term “troon” in their profile names as a signifier that they are focused on producing and circulating anti-trans content. The account targets trans people on Twitter/X by leaking personal information or calling for dogpiling campaigns, and often acts as a laundering service to push networked cyberstalking campaigns from Kiwi Farms to mainstream platforms. “Unwanted Same Sex Attraction” Screenshot, Facebook “Unwanted same-sex attraction”  is a phrase utilized by those who promote so-called “conversion therapy,” the harmful and discredited practice of attempting to change a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity. All major medical, psychiatric, and psychological organizations have condemned “conversion therapy,” and the United Nations has compared it to “torture.” While “conversion therapy” is the most common term, there are many alternate phrases promoting the practice that continue to gain popularity online. As The Daily Beast reports: “With a new wave of younger, digital-native influencers, the long-discredited ‘ex-gay’ movement—which first surfaced in the 1970s and peaked in the 1990s only to fall away in the early 2000s—is undergoing a rebrand.” So-called ex-gay influencers on TikTok and Instagram “are building social media followings on the back of content that purports to show how it’s possible to ‘overcome’ same-sex attraction.” One of the primary recommendations of GLAAD’s Social Media Safety Program is that tech companies and social media platforms should better mitigate and moderate these alternate phrases, including: become heterosexual; cure homosexuality; delivered/deliverance from homosexuality; ex gay, ex lesbian, ex LGBT, ex trans; former gay, former lesbian, former LGBT, former trans; free from homosexuality, free from same-sex attraction; gay cure; gender confusion; gender exploratory therapy; leave homosexuality, leave same-sex attraction; overcome homosexuality, overcome same-sex attraction; reintegrative therapy, reparative therapy; same-sex attracted; seeking to change my sexual orientation; sexual orientation change; sexual reorientation therapy; struggling with homosexuality, struggling with same-sex attraction; unwanted same-sex attraction . As noted in a 2024 Global Project Against Hate & Extremism (GPAHE) report (Conversion Therapy Online: The Ecosystem In 2023), search engines and platforms are failing to adequately reduce the circulation of harmful anti-LGBTQ “conversion therapy” material and providers, and they must urgently implement new solutions. GLAAD is actively working to urge these companies to better address this content, as well as driving thought-leadership in the field with reports such as this one: All Social Media Platforms Should Have Policy Prohibitions Against Harmful So-Called “Conversion Therapy” Content. Conclusion There are many additional and ever-evolving examples of hate terms, tropes, memes, narratives, and rhetorical constructions that bad actors continue to develop and amplify. As GLAAD’s Social Media Safety Index has noted, influential accounts promote these terms with the intent of fear-mongering and pushing hate-driven conspiracy theories about LGBTQ people (which can also intersect with hate against other historically marginalized groups). While a comprehensive list of such terms and tropes is beyond the scope of this project, some examples include: “41%;” “Biological male/female;” “LGBTQ agenda;” Mischaracterizations of gender-affirming care for trans people and youth (including using terms like “sterilization,” “castration,” “mutilation”); “Parents’ rights;” “Rapid Onset Gender Dysphoria (ROGD);” “Social contagion;” “Trans terrorist;” “Transhausen by proxy;” “Transing;” “Womanface.” These are just a few examples of anti-LGBTQ online hate and disinformation. Every term and concept should be evaluated in context. For instance, LGBTQ people and allies may use hashtags with hate terms as counterspeech, or slurs such as “tranny” or “dyke” may be used self-referentially to reclaim them. This guide will be updated on an ongoing basis. Please see the latest GLAAD Social Media Safety Index report for a deeper exploration of the current social media landscape for LGBTQ people, including GLAAD’s recommendations and thought leadership in the field. How to Report Anti-LGBTQ Online Hate Speech and Harassment Every major social media platform has policies which prohibit hate and harassment on the basis of protected characteristics, including sexual orientation and gender identity. To learn how to report potentially violative content, check out GLAAD’s LGBTQ Digital Safety Guide, which includes basic tips on helping our community be more safe online. About GLAAD’s Social Media Safety Program As the leading national LGBTQ media advocacy organization GLAAD is working every day to hold tech companies and social media platforms accountable, and to secure safe online spaces for LGBTQ people. The GLAAD Social Media Safety (SMS) program researches, monitors, and reports on a variety of issues facing LGBTQ social media users — with a focus on safety, privacy, and expression. The SMS program has consulted directly with platforms and tech companies on some of the most significant LGBTQ policy and product developments over the years. In addition to ongoing advocacy work with platforms (including TikTok, X/Twitter, YouTube, and Meta’s Facebook, Instagram, Threads, and others), and issuing the highly-respected annual Social Media Safety Index (SMSI) report, the SMS program produces resources, guides, publications, and campaigns, and actively works to educate the general public and raise awareness in the media about LGBTQ social media safety issues, especially anti-LGBTQ hate and disinformation. Recent Work LGBTQ Atlantans Tell GLAAD They’re Creating Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion In Every Major Industry June 20, 2024 Input from GLAAD for Oversight Board on “Explicit AI Images of Female Public Figures” Cases May 3, 2024 Solutions for All: Legislative and Regulatory Approaches to Social Media and Tech Accountability April 24, 2024 All Social Media Platforms Should Have Policy Prohibitions Against Harmful So-Called “Conversion Therapy” Content February 29, 2024 2023 Year in Review: Anti-LGBTQ Online Hate and Disinformation January 4, 2024 All Social Media Platform Policies Should Recognize Targeted Misgendering and Deadnaming as Hate Speech December 11, 2023 1 2 Next View all Social Media Safety Program articles, press releases, and resources >>> 2024 Social Media Safety Index & Platform Scorecard LGBTQ Digital Safety Guide Social Media Safety Program LGBTQ Atlantans Tell GLAAD They’re Creating Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion In […]

GLAAD, the world’s largest lesbian, gay, bisexual and queer (LGBTQ) media advocacy organization, is releasing resources to urge more accurate and inclusive coverage of transgender people leading into Transgender Day of Visibility (TDOV), observed annually on March 31st. Resources for reporters to include in their coverage of TDOV and all stories about transgender people and […]

[…] about LGBTQ Americans and their families. In a few instances, a moderator was the one fueling the disinformation and egging on the candidates for shameful pile-ons of transgender people. GLAAD asked the moderators to ask questions about how to keep Americans safe, including LGBTQ Americans who are facing unprecedented violence and harassment. Moderator Megyn Kelly […]

[…] The Times has also failed to acknowledge its contributors’ accurate citation of the Times’ anti-gay history and past leadership failures being echoed in today’s biased coverage of transgender people. On Wednesday, February 15, GLAAD, along with more than 120 organizations and leaders, delivered a coalition letter to The New York Times, about the Times’ biased […]

From LGBTQ and allied leaders and organizations Join 100+ organizations and leaders in calling on the New York Times to improve their coverage of transgender people, click here.  NEW: Read the 2/15/2024 press release here. Read the 2/15/2023 press release here. The New York Times has long been the standard for excellence in journalism: A […]

[…] difficulties transgender, gender non-conforming, and non-binary people face throughout the name change process. Several pieces of anti-LGBTQ legislation were also introduced in 2023, targeting the freedom of transgender people to use restrooms (House Bills 4195 and 4510), the freedom to read (House Bill 4136), the ability for transgender students to participate in sports (House Bill […]

[…] have been defeated, while approximately two dozen have been signed into law. Federal courts in at least seven states had ruled against bans on health care for transgender people or blocked them from being enacted as of early 2024, including rulings by three Trump-nominated justices.  The attacks on LGBTQ and transgender lives disproportionately affect transgender, […]