Information Barriers Caused by Marginalization and Norms: Experiences of Transgender and Non-Binary People

Marginalization and stigma can shape the information practices of vulnerable groups. Using examples from previous research, this short paper examines how norms and marginalization can serve as information barriers in societal and medical settings for transgender and non-binary people. The results indicate the presence of several information barriers that are related to marginalization and gender norms in both social and medical settings. Marginalization can result in covert information seeking, and gender norms can affect embodied information practices, such as information sharing. Medical authorities hold authority that can impose barriers on information sharing and lead to gender norms being adhered to in medical settings. The results highlight various practical implications for information and healthcare providers. Annual Meeting of the Association for Information Science & Technology | Oct. 27 – 31, 2023 | London, United Kingdom. Author(s) retain copyright, but ASIS&T receives an exclusive publication license.