Major
Sociology
Faculty Advisor
Sutherland, David Kyle
Abstract
Transgender (trans) representation in media continues to be an understudied subject. Most previous studies have focused on analyzing media without including transgender perspectives, making studies with trans participants scarce. In order to determine current perceptions of trans representation in fictional media, this cyber-ethnography collected discussion posts from r/asktransgender on Reddit to determine what trans people perceive as supportive and harmful representations. This study is guided by a novel theoretical integration of transgender theory and labeling theory. Trans theory and labeling theory suggest that the way characters are portrayed may reinforce or subvert current societal norms and impact the way trans and cis viewers perceive the trans community and trans people. Through this perspective, my analysis finds that trans viewers perceived content with representation and exposure, acceptance, and relatability to be supportive while content created and portrayed by cisgender (cis) people, having poor characterization and representation, and a focus on sex and tragedy to be harmful. More broadly, these findings contribute to the discussion of trans portrayals in media and creates avenues to further studies into the subject. Future studies should continue exploring the perceptions and impacts fictional portrayals of trans people have on trans and cis viewers alike.
Comments
Acknowledgements
I would like to thank my faculty advisor Dr. David Kyle Sutherland for helping me each step of the way as I crafted and finalized this thesis. He was a tremendous help in guiding me through this process and I would not have been able to complete it without his guidance. I also want to thank Brenda Sanders, my Honors mentor, for encouraging me to pursue this thesis in the first place and supporting me throughout my time at SIU. Lastly, I want to thank my friends and family for chatting with me whenever I needed to discuss my research.
Biographical Note
Valerius Greenlaw is a senior undergraduate Honors student at Southern Illinois University, Carbondale pursuing a B.A. in Sociology with a minor in Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies. Their research interests include intersectionality and queer studies, as well as mental health and social justice. They wish to better understand the oppression of others so they know how they can help. After graduation, they will be pursuing a Master of Social Work degree at Minnesota State University, Mankato.