
Transforming Prejudice
Identity, Fear, and Transgender Rights
Oxford University Press Inc
Published on 4. June 2020
Book
Hardback
262 pages
978-0-19-006888-2 (ISBN)
Description
Since the mid-1990s, there has been a seismic shift in attitudes toward gay and lesbian people, with a majority of Americans now supporting same-sex marriage and relations between same-sex, consenting adults. However, support for transgender individuals lags far behind; a significant majority of Americans do not support the right of transgender people to be free from discrimination in housing, employment, public spaces, health care, legal documents, and other areas. Much of this is due to deeply entrenched ideas about the definition of gender, perceptions that transgender people are not "real" or are suffering from mental illness, and fears that extending rights to transgender people will come at the expense of the rights of others. So how do you get people to rethink their prejudices?
In this book, Melissa R. Michelson and Brian F. Harrison examine what tactics are effective in changing public opinion regarding transgender people. The result is a new approach that they call Identity Reassurance Theory. The idea is that individuals need to feel confident in their own identity before they can embrace a stigmatized group like transgender people, and that support of members of an outgroup can be encouraged by affirming the self-esteem of those targeted for attitude change. Michelson and Harrison, through their experiments, show that the most effective messaging on transgender issues meets people where they are, acknowledges their discomfort without judgment or criticism, and helps them to think about transgender people and rights in a way that aligns with their view of themselves as moral human beings.
In this book, Melissa R. Michelson and Brian F. Harrison examine what tactics are effective in changing public opinion regarding transgender people. The result is a new approach that they call Identity Reassurance Theory. The idea is that individuals need to feel confident in their own identity before they can embrace a stigmatized group like transgender people, and that support of members of an outgroup can be encouraged by affirming the self-esteem of those targeted for attitude change. Michelson and Harrison, through their experiments, show that the most effective messaging on transgender issues meets people where they are, acknowledges their discomfort without judgment or criticism, and helps them to think about transgender people and rights in a way that aligns with their view of themselves as moral human beings.
Reviews / Votes
A key aspect of the analysis is explaining why cisgender men are the least likely to support transgender individuals, asking how to nudge them to change. The answer: reassure their masculinity and make them feel happier in general. Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduates. Graduate students, faculty and professionals. General readers. * J. J. Aguayo, York College of Pennsylvania, CHOICE * Michelson and Harrison offer much-needed pragmatic guidance on how to challenge and ultimately change anti-transgender public opinion. The path forward won't be easy, but it is possible and this book can help us take the first steps. * Heath Fogg Davis, author of Beyond Trans: Does Gender Matter? * Transforming Prejudice continues Michelson and Harrison's important work on attitude change and reducing prejudice against LGBTQ communities. Recognizing the distinctive challenges associated with increasing public acceptance of transgender individuals, they create, test, and prescribe a new theory - Identity Reassurance Theory - for changing individual attitudes. While this theory is a significant contribution to political science scholarship, more importantly it provides a tested strategy for facilitating positive change, reducing discrimination, and advancing transgender rights. This book is essential reading for everyone committed to eradicating discrimination against transgender individuals. * Courtenay W. Daum, author of The Politics of Right Sex: Transgressive Bodies, Governmentality and the Limits of Trans Rights * This is a timely and insightful book that examines the difficult task of changing public attitudes about transgender rights. The small size of the transgender community and public discomfort with transgender people make attitudinal change hard. With their Identity Reassurance Theory, Michelson and Harrison offer a theoretically grounded and pragmatic approach to changing people's attitudes about transgender rights. It is recommended for anyone interested in changing attitudes about a marginalized community. * Jami Taylor, Professor of Political Science and Public Administration, University of Toledo * What a refreshingly pragmatic, optimistic book. A Change is Gonna Comeis a humane text, grounded in useful data, and full of helpful practices that are at the core of good political science, and good political habits. I look forward to teaching this! * Renee Cramer, Drake University * We can't change everyone (racist uncles, Twitter bullies, unhinged presidents who double as Twitter bullies), but Brian F. Harrison teaches us how to persuade the persuadable. This is a book for people who want to change minds using techniques that work, which means there's no chapter celebrating the effectiveness of shaming, trolling, and other emotionally satisfying but largely counterproductive weaponry if the goal is winning elections-or even finding common ground with the human being next door. This is a hopeful and humane book for people willing to have seemingly difficult conversations that might just change the world. * Benoit Denizet-Lewis, Emerson College * LGBTQ people have made historic progress in record time thanks to the brave members of our community who not only came out, but engaged in honest, challenging conversations with those who were hostile toward our very existence. As Brian Harrison's book makes clear, it is those authentic, hard conversations that have changed people's minds and opened their hearts. The only way we will defend our progress and win true equity for all people is to take Brian's advice and keep the lines of communication open. * Brian Richardson, LGBTQ advocate and Director, Lambda Legal Midwest Region *More details
Language
English
Place of publication
New York
United States
Target group
Professional and scholarly
Dimensions
Height: 240 mm
Width: 161 mm
Thickness: 19 mm
Weight
561 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-19-006888-2 (9780190068882)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions

Melissa R. Michelson | Brian F. Harrison
Transforming Prejudice
Identity, Fear, and Transgender Rights
Book
06/2020
Oxford University Press Inc
€31.80
Shipment within 15-20 days

Melissa R. Michelson | Brian F. Harrison
Transforming Prejudice
Identity, Fear, and Transgender Rights
E-Book
03/2020
OUP eBook
€11.99
Available for download

Melissa R. Michelson | Brian F. Harrison
Transforming Prejudice
Identity, Fear, and Transgender Rights
E-Book
03/2020
OUP eBook
€11.99
Available for download
Persons
Melissa R. Michelson is Professor of Political Science at Menlo College. Brian F. Harrison is a Lecturer at the Humphrey School of Public Affairs at the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities and Founder and President of Voters for Equality. They are authors of Listen, We Need to Talk: How to Change Attitudes about LGBT Rights.
Author
Professor of Political ScienceProfessor of Political Science, Menlo College
Founder and PresidentFounder and President, Voters for Equality Super PAC
Content
Chapter 1: Just a Little Bit of History Repeating: Definitions, Public Opinion, and the Issues
Chapter 2: Reassurance, Acknowledgement, and Values
Chapter 3: Finding the Path to Attitude Change on Transgender Rights
Chapter 4: Gender Roles, Masculinity, and Support for Transgender Rights
Chapter 5: Emotions and Moral Elevation
Chapter 6: Feeling a Little Uncomfortable, and That's Okay
Chapter 7: Transforming Prejudice from the Inside Out
Chapter 2: Reassurance, Acknowledgement, and Values
Chapter 3: Finding the Path to Attitude Change on Transgender Rights
Chapter 4: Gender Roles, Masculinity, and Support for Transgender Rights
Chapter 5: Emotions and Moral Elevation
Chapter 6: Feeling a Little Uncomfortable, and That's Okay
Chapter 7: Transforming Prejudice from the Inside Out