Developing An Applied Theory of Transgender Stigmatization

• In Event: Student Forum Roundtables Session
  In Refereed Roundtable (90 minute): Roundtable 4: LGBTQ+ Studies and Sexuality

Abstract

I propose an “applied theory” of transgender stigmatization which draws on the existing corpus of broader and middle-range theories of stigma to draw attention to key dynamics in the contemporary stigmatization of transgender people in the U.S. and its related sociopolitical effects. Drawing on recent trends in the conceptualization of stigma power, I consider how a novel applied framework of anti-transgender stigmatization can be used to think about the very particular problem of anti-transgender political and social action in the contemporary U.S. context. I conclude with reflections on how this might inform practices of resistance. I argue that this style of particularist, applied stigma theorizing can effectively inform both sociological knowledge-making and the work of putting sociology into practice to address pressing social issues.

Author

• Dylan Felt, Columbia University