“When men were men”: the effects of Gender Nostalgia on bias against trans men and women

Abstract

In recent years, many people have expressed opposition to the increased public representation of trans men and women. This opposition often includes a sentimental longing for a bygone past wherein ‘men were men, and women were women’. Across three studies (N = 860), we investigated the causes and consequences of this longing, herein called Gender Nostalgia. In Study 1, we developed a measure of Gender Nostalgia, and found it to be a uniquely strong predictor of extreme forms of anti-trans bias such as acceptance of anti-trans violence. Critically, Gender Nostalgia predicted acceptance of anti-trans violence above-and-beyond other direct measures of anti-trans bias and relevant demographics. Study 2 replicated Study 1 and investigated predictors of Gender Nostalgia, finding that Gender Nostalgia was strongly predicted by participants’ self-reported gender essentialism (e.g. the belief that men and women are discretely separate social categories). Study 3 experimentally manipulated participants’ perceptions of the degree to which traditional masculinity/femininity has changed over time. Results indicated that among participants high, but not low, in gender essentialism, considering eroding traditional masculinity/femininity increased Gender Nostalgia and acceptance of anti-trans violence. Discussion surrounds the importance of considering Gender Nostalgia when investigating people’s bias against trans men and women.