Misgendering

Bus with transphobic message promoted by the right-wing organization HazteOir. Top text in Spanish translates to "Boys have a penis. Girls have a vulva. Don't let them deceive you. If you're born a man, you are a man. If you're a woman, you'll keep being one."

Misgendering is the act of labelling or referring to others with a gender that does not match their gender identity. It can be deliberate or accidental, and could amount to an act of transphobia. Common examples include use of the wrong pronouns, use of the wrong honorific (e.g. "ma'am" or "sir"), use of a former name ("deadnaming"), or insisting that a person must adhere to the social norms of their biological sex; for example, use of a bathroom designated for one gender when the person identifies as another.

The experience of being misgendered is common for all transgender people before transition, and for many afterwards too. Transgender people are regularly misgendered by doctors, police, media, and peers. Such experiences have been described as "mortifying", cruel, and "only making our lives harder". A 2018 study of 129 transgender and other gender-expansive youth published in the Journal of Adolescent Health, found that "for each additional social context in which a youth's chosen name was used, there was a statistically significant decrease in depressive symptoms, suicidal ideation, and suicidal behaviors," though the study was "correlational so causality cannot be assumed, and the sample size was small." Deliberately misgendering a transgender person is considered extremely offensive by transgender individuals.

References

  1. ↑ "Spain's 'transphobic bus' rolls on to the streets of Manhattan". El País. 23 March 2017. Banned at home, ultraconservative group internationalizes its anti-transgender campaign
  2. ↑ Serano, Julia (20 May 2009). Whipping Girl: A Transsexual Woman on Sexism and the Scapegoating of Femininity. Seal Press. ISBN 978-0-7867-4791-7. Archived from the original on 27 December 2022. Retrieved 1 January 2023 – via Cambridge University Press.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  3. 1 2 Bender-Baird, Kyla (2011). Transgender Employment Experiences: Gendered Perceptions and the Law. SUNY Press. pp. 5–24. ISBN 978-1-4384-3674-6.
  4. ↑ Herman, Joanne (2009). Transgender Explained For Those Who Are Not. AuthorHouse. pp. 50–51. ISBN 978-1-4490-2957-9.
  5. ↑ DeCecco, John (2012). Looking Queer: Body Image and Identity in Lesbian, Bisexual, Gay, and Transgender Communities (Haworth Gay & Lesbian Studies). New Jersey: Routledge. ISBN 978-0-7890-0463-5.
  6. ↑ Talusan, Meredith Ramirez (4 June 2015). "What 'deadnaming' means, and why you shouldn't do it to Caitlyn Jenner". Fusion. Archived from the original on 7 February 2017. Retrieved 8 June 2015.
  7. ↑ Fae, Jane (19 May 2015). "Changing your name should be a joyous moment, but for many it's a nightmare". The Guardian. London. Archived from the original on 24 July 2025. Retrieved 8 July 2015.
  8. ↑ McLemore, Kevin (July 2014). "Experiences with Misgendering: Identity Misclassification of Transgender Spectrum Individuals". Self and Identity. 14 (1): 51–74. doi:10.1080/15298868.2014.950691. S2CID 145101341.
  9. ↑ Harrison, Kelby (2013). Sexual Deceit: The Ethics of Passing. Lexington Books. p. 12. ISBN 978-0-7391-7705-1.
  10. ↑ Ansara, Y. Gavriel; Hegarty, Peter (2011). "Cisgenderism in psychology: pathologising and misgendering children from 1999 to 2008" (PDF). Psychology & Sexuality. 3 (2): 137–160. doi:10.1080/19419899.2011.576696. S2CID 10589506. Archived from the original (PDF) on 7 March 2020. Retrieved 20 September 2013.
  11. ↑ Ansara, Y. Gavriel. "Cisgenderism in Medical Settings: Challenging Structural Violence Through Collaborative Partnerships" (PDF). p. 95. Archived from the original (PDF) on 27 December 2022. Retrieved 20 September 2013.
  12. 1 2 Di Menna, Hillary (16 September 2013). "Gender Block: Media misgendering and Chelsea Manning". This Magazine. Archived from the original on 4 December 2024.
  13. ↑ Molloy, Parker Marie (23 August 2013). "The happy story of my transgender coming-out". Salon. Archived from the original on 18 January 2025.
  14. ↑ Grossman, Arnold H.; Li, Gu; Pollitt, Amanda M.; Russell, Stephen T. (1 October 2018). "Chosen Name Use Is Linked to Reduced Depressive Symptoms, Suicidal Ideation, and Suicidal Behavior Among Transgender Youth". Journal of Adolescent Health. 63 (4): 503–505. doi:10.1016/j.jadohealth.2018.02.003. ISSN 1054-139X. PMC 6165713. PMID 29609917.
  15. ↑ Vance, Stanley R. (1 October 2018). "The Importance of Getting the Name Right for Transgender and Other Gender Expansive Youth". Journal of Adolescent Health. 63 (4): 379–380. doi:10.1016/j.jadohealth.2018.07.022. ISSN 1054-139X. PMID 30286897.
  16. ↑ Shapiro, Lila (28 August 2013). "Shouting Disrupts Vigil For Murdered Transgender Woman Islan Nettles". Huffington Post. Archived from the original on 10 June 2025.