Trans Identity in the Media

In this entry we focus on two key aspects of trans identity in the media. We begin by reviewing the area of scholarship that has elicited the most interest from media studies academics, that is, representations of trans people in the media. We review earlier as well as more recent work to demonstrate that while there has been an increased trans presence in the media, this is not necessarily indicative of a move to trans inclusion and equality. Included in this review is a discussion on the increasing hegemony of the “wrong body” discourse in mediated narratives of trans lives. We then move from representations to consider the literature on trans people as producers and consumers of media. We reveal that, with the growth of social media, this is an area of increasing research interest. We highlight that studies have shown trans people, whose everyday realities may differ from mainstream media depictions, are actively engaged in producing, distributing, and consuming their own media to build new social networks and affirm their lives.