The Problematization of Violence Against Trans and Gender-Diverse People: Gender-Bashing and its Structural Relations With Cis-Heteronormativity in Spanish Adolescents

This study analyzes the combined influence of gender stereotypes, sexism, positive attitudes toward gender-based violence (AGV), and negative attitudes toward sexual diversity on the gender-bashing of trans and gender-diverse (TGD) people. 2,141 Spanish adolescents participated, of whom 50.5% identified as a girl, 47% as a boy, and 2.5% as other gender identity options and their mean age is 14.70 years. Structural equation modeling was used to examine the relationships among variables. The results highlight that expressiveness correlated negatively with gender-bashing. Sexism, positive AGV and negative attitudes toward sexual diversity positively correlated with gender-bashing. Instrumentality positively predicted gender-bashing through the partial mediation of sexism, positive AGV, and negative attitudes toward sexual diversity. The 5 variables explained 53% of the variance of gender-bashing. These findings highlight the need to implement educational strategies in schools from a transfeminist and queer perspective, which contribute to the prevention of violence against TGD people.