Emerson Todd
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emersont.bsky.social
Emerson Todd
@emersont.bsky.social
750 followers 1.3K following 35 posts
PhD student in Social Psychology and WGSS at Penn State studying what it means to have a marginalized body in a social world (Sexual and Gender Minority experiences, Reproductive Justice, and more) | Queer 🏳️‍🌈 🏳️‍⚧️| Sociology MA (he/they)
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emersont.bsky.social
11/
Thank you again to the NIH and Penn State CTSI for funding this work and our #trans participants and you reading for being part of my community.
February 24, 2025 at 6:40 PM
emersont.bsky.social
10/ Bottom Line

Trans joy is relational. It’s built in moments of love, community, and shared experience. We can’t count on the state to keep us safe, but we can count on each other. Let’s keep building trans joy—together.
February 24, 2025 at 6:40 PM
emersont.bsky.social
9/ 💕 Romantic Relationships 💕

Positive romantic relationships predicted trans joy (and I always tear up at this qualitative data).

More research is needed on direction—do good relationships increase trans joy, or do those feeling more trans joy seek positive relationships?
Alex, Trans man I feel like I experience the most joy when being accepted by others. Most often it is in the case of my partner and I, whereby we often use a mixed bag of gender pronouns to refer to each other. I feel like I have always been fluid in my gender and just hearing these small words of affirmation throughout the day from someone I care about is extremely meaningful. Marla, Trans Woman When I am with my girlfriend, I feel like I am able to truly express my gender identity and feel joyful. She fully embraces and affirms me. She helped me set up my first appointment to get HRT and help me pick out my first dress and feminine outfit. Spending time with her brings me joy, as I am able to fully express my identity...
February 24, 2025 at 6:40 PM
emersont.bsky.social
8/ 💬 Social Media 📱
Using an in development TGD social media use scale we found that social media use increased feelings of community connection which resulted in more trans Joy.

Notably, older trans adults may use social media less, leading to weaker connections.
Path mediation model noting a significant, positive relationship from social media to trans joy through the indirect pathway of community connection. The direct path is negative and statistically insignificant. Wren, Trans Masc NB I follow some transmasculine and nonbinary people on social media that talk about trans activism and visibility. I also have joined several transmasculine and nonbinary subreddits where I can see and interact with others who are similar to me.
February 24, 2025 at 6:40 PM
emersont.bsky.social
7/ 🏳️‍⚧️ Community 👥

Being with other trans folks, and feeling more connected to the trans community predicted trans joy (even when accounting for past microaggressions in other relationships)
Whenever I am feeling joyful or happy about my gender expression... I am usually in the company of other people with trans identities... we understand each other's struggles and ambitions... we have a special perspective on life and can relate to each other in these really peculiar, hyper specific ways. - Cassidy, Trans Woman
February 24, 2025 at 6:40 PM
emersont.bsky.social
6/ Overview:
We aimed to examine a variety of relationships (TGD community, social media, and romantic relationships) through a mixed-methods Qualtrics survey of 389 TGD participants via Prolific.
A digital infographic titled ‘QUALITATIVE Analysis’ presents findings on actions individuals take to feel joyful about their gender expression and identity. The background features a gradient of pink and purple hues. The central question reads: ‘What actions do you take (or have you taken) to feel joyful about your gender expression and gender identity? When do you do them? How do you enact small moments of joy?’ Below this, six categories are displayed in square icons with purple illustrations and participant counts (n values). The categories include: 1. ‘Self’ (n = 299) – represented by an icon of a person looking in a mirror. 2. ‘Family’ (n = 19) – depicted by an icon of three people, representing familial relationships. 3. ‘Friendship’ (n = 68) – illustrated by a group of five people standing together. 4. ‘Romance’ (n = 33) – represented by two overlapping hearts. 5. ‘TGD Community’ (n = 80) – illustrated by a group of people with heart, like, and speech bubble icons above them. 6. ‘Broader Community’ (n = 49) – shown with interconnected circles, symbolizing wider community connections.
February 24, 2025 at 6:40 PM
emersont.bsky.social
5/
We suggest, building on framework from Westbrook and Schuester (2022) that Trans Joy is not just individual, but built through relationships.
A screenshot of the first page of the article titled ‘Transgender Joy: Flipping the Script of Marginality’ by Laurel Westbrook and Stef M. Shuster. The title is in bold, followed by the authors’ names in a smaller, bold font. Below, the abstract states: “Though it is vital to attend to oppression and inequality, telling stories about trans joy helps scholars, trans people, and the public understand the full complexity of trans people’s lived experiences. Noticing, nurturing, and celebrating joy is a vital form of resistance for marginalized communities.” At the bottom, a section labeled ‘Keywords’ lists relevant terms: transgender, joy, inequality, gender, marginalization, and knowledge.
February 24, 2025 at 6:40 PM
emersont.bsky.social
4/ side note 📝

While deficit-based research is important (and I’ve done it myself!), it can also reinforce normative narratives that are used to harm trans people.
February 24, 2025 at 6:40 PM
emersont.bsky.social
3/

In a time when trans people are frequently told they should feel shame, sadness, or fear for being transgender, joy is an act of resistance.

Similarly our research can do the same by taking a strength-based approach (Tuck, 2009).
A screenshot of the first page of the article ‘Suspending Damage: A Letter to Communities’ by Eve Tuck, published under the affiliation of the State University of New York, New Paltz. The title is in a large, italicized serif font, followed by the author’s name and affiliation in smaller text. Below this, the abstract summarizes the article’s argument: “In this open letter, Eve Tuck calls on communities, researchers, and educators to reconsider the long-term impact of “damage-centered” research—research that intends to document peoples’ pain and brokenness to hold those in power accountable for their oppression. This kind of research operates with a flawed theory of change: it is often used to leverage reparations or resources for marginalized communities yet simultane- ously reinforces and reinscribes a one-dimensional notion of these people as depleted, ruined, and hopeless. Tuck urges communities to institute a moratorium on damage- centered research to reformulate the ways research is framed and conducted and to reimagine how findings might be used by, for, and with communities.”
February 24, 2025 at 6:40 PM
emersont.bsky.social
2/ What is Trans Joy?

In this talk, I conceptualize trans Joy as not only happiness, but a deep sense of fulfillment and well-being related to being transgender or gender diverse (TGD).
February 24, 2025 at 6:40 PM
emersont.bsky.social
1/ First I want to thank @spspnews.bsky.social and my copresenters for this opportunity, my mentor @jesmatsick.bsky.social for believing in me, and my collaborators for making this a reality.

Now on to the talk
February 24, 2025 at 6:40 PM
emersont.bsky.social
Sorry I didn’t get to see it!!
February 22, 2025 at 2:26 AM