Trans Rights and Safety, Political Self-efficacy, and Well-Being

Abstract

Introduction This mixed-methods study contributes to a growing body of research on trans political engagement by examining the interaction between trans political self-efficacy, political fatigue, and mental health. A total of 141 trans individuals completed an online mixed-methods survey assessing trans rights and safety concerns, political self-efficacy, and well-being. Methods Participants were asked to describe the reasons for their level of political engagement. Data was collected between June 2019 and August 2021, with a brief pause for COVID-19. Results Narrative analyses indicate that participants engaged with the political system due to concern for their trans rights and safety (35%), their sense of the personal (55%), communal relevance (26%), their mistrust of the political system (26%), and their political self-efficacy beliefs (26%). Though quantitative analyses indicate that participants’ well-being was significantly, positively correlated with both political security and political self-efficacy, some participants described their political engagement as being related to political fatigue (21%). Moreover, participants who reported political fatigue demonstrated significantly lower political self-efficacy than participants who did not report political fatigue. Conclusions These results suggest that trans political engagement can provide important benefits for well-being, via political self-efficacy, as well as risk factors for psychological harm, via political fatigue. Policy Implications Thus, it is recommended that social policy makers promote safe pathways for trans individuals to engage with the political system and reduce activists’ exposure to anti-trans stigma.