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Advocacy Videos Promote Acceptance of Transgender Identity

Author

Listed:
  • Gynelle Sackie-Mensah

    (Towson University)

  • Luana Firmino

    (Ground Media)

  • Erin K. Fletcher

    (Ground Media)

  • Seth R. Gitter

    (Department of Economics, Towson University)

Abstract

Americans hold contradictory views about transgender people, expressing support for freedom from discrimination in polls yet failing to support the passage of laws protecting those freedoms. This disconnect may be because the majority of Americans do not perceive these inequalities as having an impact. Polls show many Americans do not believe that transgender identity is a true or real identity, which is reinforced by stereotypical and exaggerated representation in media. Furthermore, a majority of Americans report not knowing a transgender person. As such, promoting and reinforcing the idea that transgender identity is real could be a necessary first step to increasing support for transgender rights in the United States. This paper tests whether an audiences’ belief that transgender identity is real can be influenced by an advocacy campaign designed to showcase authentic and joyful stories of transgender people through a randomized experiment of over 31,000 participants. Roughly two-thirds of the participants were shown a short advocacy video with the other third serving as a control group who watched placebo videos. We show that after watching the video, the treatment group’s belief that transgender identity is real was roughly 5% higher on a 10-point scale than the control group. The measured effect of the videos was of similar magnitude, even for those who believe transgender rights had gone too far or did not know a transgender person. These results suggest that advocacy videos can increase support for transgender rights, even among those who are less likely to support those rights.

Suggested Citation

  • Gynelle Sackie-Mensah & Luana Firmino & Erin K. Fletcher & Seth R. Gitter, 2026. "Advocacy Videos Promote Acceptance of Transgender Identity," Working Papers 2026-02, Towson University, Department of Economics, revised Mar 2026.
    • Handle: RePEc:tow:wpaper:2026-02
    as

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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Keywords

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    JEL classification:

    • D83 - Microeconomics - - Information, Knowledge, and Uncertainty - - - Search; Learning; Information and Knowledge; Communication; Belief; Unawareness
    • C93 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Design of Experiments - - - Field Experiments
    • J15 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Economics of Minorities, Races, Indigenous Peoples, and Immigrants; Non-labor Discrimination

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