Author says results highlight problem of “transprejudice”

A new study which found that only 3 per cent of heterosexuals were willing to date a transgender person proves society has a problem with “transprejudice” and must be re-educated, according to its author.

In the study, which was published in the Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, participants were asked to check which of the following they would “consider as a potential dating partner”.

– a cisgender woman

– a cisgender man

– a transgender woman

– a transgender man

– a person with a non-binary gender identification

The study found that only 3.1 per cent of heterosexuals were willing to date a trans person compared to 55 per cent of people “with queer or bisexual sexual orientations”.

According to its author Karen L. Blair Ph.D., the results showed that many heterosexuals rejected dating trans people because they thought they had “make believe” identities and that this is a form of “transprejudice”.

“These types of responses questioned the legitimacy of transgender and non-binary identities and took a very dehumanizing tone in referring to trans people,” writes Blair, noting that even people who rejected trans partners because they “mentioned a desire to only date people with whom they could have biologically related children” did so “using dehumanizing language, such as saying that a trans man “was not a natural man” or a “real man”.

Blair said that such “dehumanization” and “transprejudice” could be combated with more “education about the diversity of gender identities” and by increasing “accurate media representations of trans and non-binary people”.

The author notes that the same type of “prejudice” doesn’t exist when it comes to dating people of a different race.

There definitely appears to be some kind of innate stigma that straight people have towards transgenders when it comes to having romantic and possibly sexual relationships with them.

Some transgender commentators have previously asserted that it is bigoted for heterosexuals to choose not to date transgenders.

Is this really something that can be changed with enough re-education and social engineering, or is it a completely normal preference to hold?

Poster Comment:

Surprised that as many as 3% would date a transgender thing. Maybe not on 4UM.