On Monday, April 28, Dr. Evan Smith, associate professor of psychology at Elizabethtown College and chair of psychology department, gave a presentation entitled “Prejudice Against Transwomen: Theories and Findings.” The goal of his presentation was to present his research about understanding and evaluating prejudice against members of the LGBTQ community while focusing on transwomen, a part of the community who are discriminated against both physically and verbally.
Smith gave a quick overview of the types of prejudice transwomen experience today. For instance, in the work environment, Smith reported that 36 percent of transwomen reported job loss, 50 percent reported underemployment and 80 percent experienced harassment in the workplace. Smith also reported that the mental and physical well-being of transwomen is downplayed, as 24 percent have been refused health care coverage because they are transsexual. Also, 19 percent of transwomen reported having experienced homelessness, and 34 percent who sought entry into a homeless shelter were denied entry because of being transsexual. Even more shocking is the statistic that not only eight percent of transwomen admitted assault in a public place, but also, as of 2012, 53 percent of LGBTQ murder victims were transwomen.
Smith discussed his theories behind how and why transprejudice has become such an important topic of discussion both in and out of the LGBTQ community. “I prefer the word ‘transprejudice’ over the more commonly used term ‘transphobia.’ To me, transphobia is too similar to something like arachnophobia. We don’t really want to promote the idea of trans people being something to be afraid of, like spiders or heights, but rather as a group of people who are being discriminated against unfairly,” he said.
Smith continued his presentation by discussing essentialism as the biggest reason behind transprejudice. “Essentialist views hold that a given attribute is fundamental or unchanging,” Smith said. This attribute, in terms of LGBTQ equality, is the idea that people are born as they are, whether it be gay or straight, and a person’s sexuality is a fundamental part of their being. No one made them this way; it is simply who they are. Using this essentialist idea, psychologists conducted studies in which people were presented with a pamphlet of biological research and proof that homosexuality was, in fact, a matter of biology and, therefore, an inherent part of a person’s biological makeup. “Those who expressed a positive attitude toward homosexuality before being presented the information had an even more positive attitude afterward. However, those who expressed a negative attitude toward homosexuality had an even greater negative attitude toward homosexuality after being shown the information. This led to a case of group polarization,” Smith said.
Smith considered how essentialist attitudes toward gender identity and sexuality could affect essentialist attitudes about transwomen. He took an opportunity to poll citizens of Cuba during an Elizabethtown Financial International Scholarship Seminar in 2011 to conduct further research on gender studies in different countries. He also polled two universities’ student populations to further compare the acceptance rate between different countries and cultures. Overall, Smith found that many countries are somewhere in the middle — not entirely accepting, but not entirely unaccepting.
Smith’s talk ended with conclusions he believes are accurate in light of the newly-discovered information. He found transacceptance to be culturally variant, as acceptance is viewed differently depending on a country or region’s culture. He also found that essentialist attitudes related to a lesser acceptance rate of transwomen. In order to combat discrimination in society, Smith said, “I think it is complicated. I don’t think essentialist arguments are good. They’re not really leading us down the path of acceptance. I think labeling folks as different pushes us toward discrimination, but through breaking these labels, we can push back toward acceptance.”
