From Marginalized Identities to Maximized Impact: The Role of Identity in the Political Attitudes and Behaviors of Transgender Adults

摘要

Political attitudes and behaviors have been extensively studied in a variety of populations, with differences between and within populations being attributed to a range of factors. These include socioeconomic factors and individual- and group-specific characteristics, such as experiences of marginalization or discrimination. Identity has been shown to be an important factor in influencing political attitudes, such as one's level of confidence in participating in political activity, and political behaviors, including voting and participating in political protests. In particular, identity has been an influential factor among minority populations. While scholars have studied lesbian, gay, and bisexual people widely, little is known about the political activity of transgender ("trans") people, primarily due to a lack of available data and insufficient sample sizes for reliable analyses.;This dissertation undertakes an in-depth examination of the political attitudes and behaviors of trans adults using data from the 2015 U.S. Transgender Survey, the largest survey of trans adults ever conducted with 27,715 respondents. This study first examines internal political efficacy, voting and voter registration, and other forms of political participation---such as volunteering or working for a political campaign, making campaign donations, or attending a political protest---to determine differences in these items within the trans population based on demographic characteristics. The study then explores various aspects of trans identity, since identity is known to be an important factor in influencing political engagement. Lastly, the study employs multivariate predictive modeling to analyze the relationship between identity and political attitudes and behaviors. Findings indicate that trans people are generally engaged in political processes at high levels and reveal important information about the variation of such activities among trans people. Additionally, results demonstrate that some aspects of trans identity are influential in the political attitudes and behaviors of trans adults, particularly within-group interaction and engagement in political activism. This research makes an important contribution toward gaining an understanding of trans people as political actors. Furthermore, it provides a foundation upon which to build future studies of political engagement in the trans population and presents evidence that informs advocacy regarding political activism in trans communities.