Visibly Unknown: Media Depiction of Murdered Transgender Women of Color

Abstract

Specific examples of transgender people misgendered and misidentified in media have been well-documented; however, little work explores how media depicts the murder of transgender people. The current work examines media coverage of the 23 transgender women of color murdered in 2016. Utilizing content analysis, we identified five themes including the brutality of these murders, the trivialization of the murders, misgendering the victims, the emotional toll on significant others, and resiliency among the transgender community. In general, media reports of deaths of transgender women of color in 2016 reveal the saliency of stigmatization. Did these lives matter?

Initial evaluation of a gender-inclusive version of the Illinois Rape Myth Acceptance Scale.

“…Regardless, future research is needed with a sample representative of people of diverse racial, ethnic, and gender identity, and of various age groups. Specifically, subsequent research must investigate the potential impact of intersecting identities including race and gender, given the historic oppression and underrepresentation of people of color within research (Crenshaw, 1991; Gurthrie, 2004) and the particular risk of sexual violence and murder among trans women of color (Gay and Lesbian Alliance against Defamation, 2019; Human Rights Campaign, 2020; Wood et al, 2019). Greater inclusion of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) and/or trans and gender diverse individuals may not significantly impact results, as everyone is influenced by dominant societal norms that dictate rape myths (Bedera & Nordmeyer, 2020).…”

“A Human Being Like Other Victims”: The Media Framing of Trans Homicide in the United States

“…Those who blur, challenge, or transgress these existing gender binaries are singled out for adverse and sometimes violent consequences (Butler 2004), which necessitates an urgency for greater understanding among criminal justice actors of vulnerable and marginalized populations. Additional research is needed to contextualize the nature of the interactions between LGBTQ + persons and the police, as well as the experience of trans individuals in the criminal justice system (June 2017;MacKenzie and Marcel 2009;Williams 2009;Wood et al 2019). Future analysis of police reports of trans victims should be conducted to explore the language used by police and the role this plays in criminal justice discourses surrounding trans issues.…”

“…Thus, a confluence of various social institutions-family and friends of the victims, LGBTQ + advocates and organizations, police-contribute to the framing by media. The more voices that were included in a story allowed for a multidimensional portrayal of the human beings whose lives were violently extinguished, of the emotional toll and aftermath of the deaths on families, and of the resiliency of the trans community (Wood et al 2019).…”

“…Another frequent media frame has been termed "misgendering" (Wood et al 2019). Trans victims of homicide are frequently referred to using the wrong gender modality.…”

“…Homicide among trans individuals is racial and gendered, with people of color and people who are trans feminine being at higher risk (Dinno 2017). Trans women of color are often victims of more brutal forms of violence that are sensationalized in the media (Williams 2009;Wood et al 2019). They are more likely to be situated as deviant individuals who are responsible for their own deaths through engagement in what is described as "risky lifestyles," which include sex work and drug use (Williams et al 2015).…”