How Transgender and Nonbinary Young Adults Use Agency to Resist Transphobia on Social Media

• In Event: Trans and Nonbinary Lives

Abstract

Transgender and nonbinary individuals often seek out social media for its potential to be a tool for self-expression, support, and resistance, which supports their well-being and trans joy; however, these platforms are not free from transphobia. Through semi-structured interviews with fifteen transgender and nonbinary young adults (aged 18-29 years), this study explores how respondents use their agency to curate and cultivate their social environments on social media to support their gender identities and to resist harassment and discrimination. Respondents first start by making choices about social media platforms. Respondents often have multiple accounts with multiple purposes and carefully curate access to these accounts to control transphobic harassment and discrimination. The content and the purpose of each account differs depending on the level of trust with each social group and the social media platform. While most respondents indicate that transphobia expressed by strangers on social media is discounted by them, respondents differ in their approaches towards resisting transphobia on social media. No matter the approach, these strategies are acts of resistance that create social support and community and maintain their gender identities and joy.

Authors

• Anastasia S. Vogt Yuan, Virginia Tech

• Robyn Lawson, Virginia Tech