Study Suggests Transgenders 'Suffering' Because Straight People Won't Date Them
Suicide rate amongst transgender adolescents is between 29.9 to 50.8 percent
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Transgender and “non-binary” individuals are at a considerably higher risk of mental illness and suicide as a result of the actions and thoughts of current society, according to researchers.
The tampered suicide rate amongst transgender adolescents is between 29.9 to 50.8 percent, according to a paper released by the American Academy of Pediatrics in 2018.
But now researchers are arguing that transgender people and “non-binary” individuals are suffering because Americans are not willing to date them.
Researchers, Karen L. Blair, and Rhea Ashley Hoskin report that participants in their survey were asked to consider what type of individual would be covered in their “hypothetical” pool of “potential dating partners.”
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The options presented to the participants were as follows:
- A cisgender woman
- A cisgender man
- A transgender woman
- A transgender man
- A person with a non-binary gender identification
But the Canadian academics discovered that the majority of their 958 respondents said they would not consider dating someone who identifies as transgender.
Writing in a Sunday Psychology Today article, Blair wrote about the findings:
“Recently, my colleague and I asked this question of just under 1,000 participants, and we published our findings in the Journal of Social and Personal Relationships."
“Our results indicated that 87.5% of the participants who were asked this very question only checked off the cisgender options and excluded transgender and non-binary individuals from their hypothetical dating pool,” she added.
Blair argues that though the question may seem simple or even foolish, that it is anything but “inconsequential.”
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“After all, relationships are one of our most important sources of social support. Indeed, our relationships play an important role in our overall mental and physical well-being, and our relationships are a better predictor of how long we’ll live than smoking or obesity!” she continues.
If relationships are an indicator of health, well-being, and life expectancy, the lack of attraction from straight, “cisgender” creates smaller dating pools, having a profound effect on transgender people.
In her article, she also touched upon suggestions of straight people’s lack of attraction to the transgender community, which may be a contributing factor to higher rates of suicide rates.
Blair also added a disclaimer outlining her research goal, adding she did not intend to shame anyone for their preferences.
transgender people unattractive.
Blair also argues her research will help explain the underlying “prejudice” that prompts straight to be people to find transgender people unattractive.
“However,” Blair wrote.
“Understanding the extent to which trans individuals are excluded from the realm of dating can serve as a benchmark for where society currently stands with respect to including trans and non-binary individuals.”
“(I)t is one thing to make space for diverse gender identities within our workplaces, schools, washrooms and public spaces,” Blair wrote.
“But it is another to fully include and accept gender diversity within our families and romantic relationships.
“Ultimately, however, this research underscores the consequences of shared societal prejudices that impact our trans friends, partners, family members, and coworkers on a daily basis.”
