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“Boys Don’t Cry”—or Do They? Adult Attitudes Toward and Beliefs About Transgender Youth

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Abstract

The present survey study examined the attitudes of U.S. adults toward transgender children and adolescents, as well as their behavioral intentions, in two hypothetical scenarios involving gender variant youth. Participants recruited online (N = 281) reported generally favorable attitudes toward transgender minors, but expressed some hesitation to allow a transgender child to use the restroom aligned with their gender as opposed to their birth sex or to share a room with same gender peers on a school trip, possibly due to conflating gender identity with sexual orientation in these situations. Attitudes were less positive in respondents who reported a religious affiliation, conservative social political views, and stronger conformity to certain traditional gender norms—particularly in men. Even after controlling for these factors, stronger belief in environmental versus biological causes of transgender identity was linked to more negative attitudes. Participants’ behavioral intentions were driven partly by their attitudes and causal attributions, but also by their age and, at least for women, personal connections to the transgender community. We discuss implications for the discourse surrounding transgender youth and the need for educating the public on the development of gender identity as well as the difference between gender identity and sexual orientation.

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Acknowledgments

This research was supported by Albion College’s Foundation for Undergraduate Research, Scholarly and Creative Activity (FURSCA) to Jessica Glazier. We would also like to thank Cindy and Tori for sharing their story with us.

The research reported in this manuscript was approved by Albion College’s Institutional Review Board.

Participants gave voluntary informed consent to participate and were debriefed at the conclusion of the study.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychological Science, Albion College, 609 E. Porter St., Olin Hall, Albion, MI, 49224, USA

    Holger B. Elischberger, Jessica J. Glazier & Eric D. Hill

  2. Department of Anthropology & Sociology, Albion College, 611 E. Porter St., Robinson Hall, Albion, MI, 49224, USA

    Lynn Verduzco-Baker

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  1. Holger B. Elischberger
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  2. Jessica J. Glazier
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  3. Eric D. Hill
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  4. Lynn Verduzco-Baker
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Correspondence to Holger B. Elischberger.

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Elischberger, H.B., Glazier, J.J., Hill, E.D. et al. “Boys Don’t Cry”—or Do They? Adult Attitudes Toward and Beliefs About Transgender Youth. Sex Roles 75, 197–214 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11199-016-0609-y

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