Internalized transphobia: Exploring perceptions of social messages in transgender and gender-nonconforming adults

Abstract

ABSTRACT Background: Transgender and gender nonconforming (TGNC) individuals encounter a variety of minority stressors that have yet to be fully articulated or explored within the research literature. The purpose of this study is to better understand internalized stigma—the experience of accepting and internalizing negative social messages and experiences about one's identity—an underexplored minority stressor for TGNC people. Method: We conducted in-depth interviews with 30 diverse TGNC participants using consensual qualitative research (CQR) methodology. Results: Following data saturation and analysis, six distinct themes emerged across participants: (1) TGNC identities are regarded negatively by society; (2) social messages are perceived as originating from the media and religious ideology; (3) TGNC individuals report emotional distress; (4) negative self-perceptions in response to social messages; (5) TGNC individuals report resilience processes in response to negative social messages; and (6) social messages are perceived generally to differentially impact TGNC people of color. Conclusion: Findings highlight the common experience of encountering social marginalization for TGNC individuals. Structural interventions that target pervasive sociocultural messages regarding TGNC identities are warranted.