{"id":172902,"date":"2026-03-27T15:10:39","date_gmt":"2026-03-27T21:10:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tecscience.tec.mx\/en\/?p=172902"},"modified":"2026-04-02T15:33:44","modified_gmt":"2026-04-02T21:33:44","slug":"transphobia-causes-consequences-how-to-fight-it","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tecscience.tec.mx\/en\/human-social\/transphobia-causes-consequences-how-to-fight-it\/","title":{"rendered":"Transphobia: Causes, Effects on Mental Health, and How to Prevent It"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Transphobia<\/a> refers to rejection, discrimination, and violence against transgender and non-binary people. It affects millions worldwide and, in its most extreme forms, can be deadly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From a scientific perspective, efforts have been made to understand it, and today it is recognized as something complex that involves multiple social, cultural, and psychological factors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen I talk about this topic, I always say that it is like a complicated dish; there are a lot of factors and elements that condition transphobia and cannot be separated,\u201d says Hamid Vega<\/a>, a psychiatrist and researcher at the Ram\u00f3n de la Fuente Mu\u00f1iz National Institute of Psychiatry<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of the ingredients is ignorance and misinformation<\/a>. Several studies<\/a> show that when people lack clear information about what gender identity is<\/a>, they are more likely to adopt misconceptions, such as believing that there are only two genders or that biological sex fully determines gender identity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBeing trans is something natural,\u201d says Tecelli Dom\u00ednguez<\/a>, a researcher at the Center for Global Health Research of the National Institute of Psychiatry Ram\u00f3n de la Fuente Mu\u00f1iz.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Far from being an exception, it is estimated that in Mexico 0.9% of people aged 15 and over identify as trans or non-binary<\/a>. Even if the term \u2018transgender\u2019 is relatively new, gender diversity has existed for thousands of years across cultures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In line with this evidence, the World Health Organization (WHO) updated its guidelines and in 2019 moved gender incongruence out of the category of mental disorders<\/a>. Medical associations agree that it is not a pathology<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSex and gender variability is the same as what happens with the variability of human height,\u201d says Vega.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Causes of Transphobia: Misinformation, Sexism, and Cultural Norms<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In addition to misinformation, various studies also show that cultural context is a major driver of transphobia.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In countries like Mexico, where traditional gender norms persist, the pressure to conform to rigid ideas of masculinity and femininity remains strong and causes a rejection of anything different from that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This system, described as sexist and heteronormative, leaves little room for diversity, and those who challenge it often face discrimination, rejection, and violence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a recent study, Mexican researchers found that in the country, men exhibit more prejudice towards trans people<\/a> and are less tolerant of people who do not conform to traditional gender norms, compared to women.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s curious because of the people who responded to the survey, most were women, and yet the level of rejection predominated among men,\u201d says Dom\u00ednguez, who was one of the authors of the study.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Furthermore, negative attitudes toward trans or non-binary people have been found to be linked to higher levels of sexism, authoritarianism, and rigid religious beliefs<\/a>. These attitudes reflect a broader worldview shaped by rigid ideas of morality and \u201cwhat is natural.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cPeople of diverse sexual orientations and gender identities have been associated with these prejudices and so-called immoral things,\u201d Vega points out. \u201cThat\u2019s why there are hate crimes; there\u2019s this element of wanting to punish you for representing something that, morally speaking, is supposedly wrong.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thus, transphobia appears to involve misinformation, prejudice, and deeply ingrained social norms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n