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Executive Summary Breaking the Binary: Exploring the Role of Media Representation of Trans People in Constructing a Safer and More Inclusive Social

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Executive Summary Breaking the Binary: Exploring the Role of Media Representation of Trans People in Constructing a Safer and More Inclusive Social Qiuling Liu - Department of Culture, Media and Creative Industries at Kings College, in collaboration with On Road Media Executive Summary Breaking the Binary: Exploring the Role of Media Representation of Trans People in Constructing a Safer and More Inclusive Social Environment October 2017 www.onroadmedia.org.uk | [email protected] Introduction In 2010, when we first showed the findings of Trans Media Watch’s survey - How Transgender People Experience the Media - to media professionals they were shocked. The survey revealed that 70% of trans respondents thought representation of trans in the media was negative, 78% felt media portrayals were inaccurate and 95% felt that the media did not care what effect this had on trans people. We used to ask groups of media professionals and regulators if any of them had a trans acquaintance or family member. Invariably not a single person in the room had. We were the first trans people they’d ever consciously met. Yet these were the people who made the programmes and wrote the articles about us. The obvious conclusion was that nearly everybody working in media got their information about trans people from the same source as the general public they served…the media. With the launch of the All About Trans project in 2010 (managed by On Road Media) we hoped to help change this by introducing media professionals to trans individuals and to the reality of trans lives. So it’s gratifying to discover that Qiuling Liu’s 2017 survey has noted positive change. Over 70% of trans people surveyed today think media representation of trans people in the UK has become more positive in the last seven years. Of course we can’t take all the credit but we are glad that, among the examples of positive media cited, are Hollyoaks, EastEnders and Boy Meets Girl – all influenced by or resulting from All About Trans initiatives. There has been a huge increase in media coverage of trans since that 2010 survey and it’s easy to point to positive improvement. Private individuals can now come out without facing an inevitable ‘monstering’ in the tabloids with innuendo about their lives splashed over every front page. More recently figures in the public eye have been able to announce their transitions to a largely positive response by mainstream media. Yet the discrimination continues although the focus may have changed. Non-binary individuals find themselves bullied and ridiculed by television presenters while ill-informed negative speculation about trans children and their supportive families increasingly runs rampant. Unsurprisingly 48.5% of the trans respondents still think media coverage of trans people is negative or very negative. Trans people make up around 1% of the population, rising close to 3% if all gender non-conforming people are included. Yet a 2016 study in the USA showed that, while 87% of people say they know someone who is gay or lesbian, only 30% know someone who is transgender. So where do the other 60% get their information? From the media. There is still plenty of work to do. Sarah Lennox, On Road Trustee and All About Trans co-founder and advisor 1 Context of Breaking the Binary The last decade has seen an increased understanding of trans matters across the globe: Caitlyn Jenner coming out as trans on Vanity Fair’s front cover, Laverne Cox appearing in Orange is the New Black, the Women and Equalities Committee launching an inquiry into trans people’s experiences in the UK. This is besides the tireless work being undertaken by numerous trans and non-binary charities, support groups and campaign organisations across the UK. It’s therefore important to understand that All About Trans’ significant role in improving media representation must be viewed alongside the change being driven by these groups and factors. The last survey of trans people’s attitudes to media representation, How Transgender People Experience the Media, was published in 2010 by Trans Media Watch. This research was used with consent from the author Jennie Kermode, and was vital to the work on Breaking the Binary. On Road Media started working with the trans community in 2010 to improve portrayal of trans matters in the UK media, and we wanted to find out if there had been any measurable change since then. We were also interested in the impact of media coverage on the wellbeing of trans people and the trans community’s views on what can be done to further improve representation. We were delighted to have the opportunity to collaborate with MA student Qiuling Liu at King’s College London on this research project. Purpose of study The study was designed to answer: a) How do trans people in the UK perceive media representations of trans people today b) How is trans people’s wellbeing influenced by different media portrayals c) How can advocacy organisations that aim for improvements in media representation of trans people effectively facilitate a greater public understanding of trans matters in order to build a safer and more inclusive social environment for trans communities Who and how An online survey was completed between May and July 2017 by 409 people over 18 years old. Four respondents were parents or partners of a trans person, whose responses were excluded from quantitative data but included in the qualitative analysis. Eight respondents had never seen a media item about trans matters, so were only given questions about advocacy projects. Out of 383 respondents who specified their gender identities, 144 were female/women, 112 were male/man, and 127 did not class themselves as having a binary gender. Following the survey, semi-structured interviews were conducted with eight trans respondents. The research focussed on UK media only. References to international media in the findings will not be discussed in detail in this summary. 2 Media usage and alternative media Netflix was the most frequently accessed media outlet (48%), suggesting high consumption of TV drama. The Guardian is second, with 47% of respondents reading it most often. This is different to the 2010 survey, where it was the most accessed. Pink News ranks among top five, taking the leading position amongst LGBTQ+ publications. 3 The survey highlighted the importance of user-generated media content (independent films, personal blogs, YouTube videos etc.) for young people. In the process of exploring gender identities, user generated media is deemed as the most helpful source for trans people aged from 18 to 37 - more important to them than other sources like trans communities, books, family and friends or advocacy organisations, while people born before 1980 are less reliant on it. On the contrary, only 25% said they have sought support through mainstream media and only 2% see it as most useful. Frequency It is widely recognised that there is an increase in the amount of trans media exposure. 10% of participants said they saw media items involving trans people every day, compared with 5% in 2010. In 2017, 31% of respondents saw them several times a week, compared with 14% in 2010. One of the aims of All About Trans was to improve the visibility as well as the portrayal of trans people in the media, and this has clearly happened. Perception While the survey by Trans Media Watch in 2010 found that 70% of respondents thought media coverage of trans people was negative or very negative, this had reduced to 48.5% in the 2017 survey. However, this is still nearly half. In this survey, 13.5% of respondents described portrayals as positive/very positive, compared to 5% in 2010, with 38% describing coverage as neither negative nor positive. Respondents commented that the pace of change is slow, and that negative coverage has increased alongside the increase in more positive and accurate portrayals. Many comments suggested that it is now typical for a trans story to be covered well by some of the media while being exploited as clickbait by others. This contradictory issue can also be found in individual media pieces. For example, the interview of non-binary couple Fox and Owl by Piers Morgan on Good Morning Britain was one of the most referred to items, as an example of both negative and positive coverage. Some described it as positive to see a non-binary couple on TV, performing well and generating discussion. 4 Age difference The survey indicated a difference between age groups. People born before 1970 have a more positive view on the representation of trans people in the media now than younger generations. This is possibly because they remember when representation was much worse. Accuracy There appears to be little change in trans people’s view of the accuracy of media representation in that time, with 78% of respondents in the 2010 survey and 76% in 2017 considering it inaccurate or very inaccurate. However, at the same time, 51% of 2017 respondents thought media coverage had become more accurate in the past decade. This apparent discrepancy could be because standards and expectations are higher, or because while accuracy has greatly improved in some media, inaccurate representation persists in others. Reference was made in particular to the inaccurate media coverage of issues related to children and young people – which was not so prevalent seven years ago. Respondents said that many media items made factually inaccurate statements, such as claiming that children had access to surgery. The worst example of this kind was said to be the BBC 2 documentary Transgender Kids: Who Knows Best?, which spread discredited notions about trans young people. 5 Change is for good Asked specifically about change in the past decade, 71% of respondents said media coverage of trans people has become more positive and only and 4% said it is more negative, with 51% saying it has become more accurate, and just 6% saying it has become more inaccurate.
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