The research project I am working on is titled Transmasculine Pregnancy and Identity with Mel Monier, a PhD candidate in Media and Communications. This research directly impacts transmasculine individuals and the broader community by working to study an understudied facet of transgender identity and understanding how trans representation in media informs public perception and self-perception. My role within this research is first to help code interviews and articles based on 9 legitimacy indicators created by TJ Billard, a professor at the School of Communication at Northwestern University, in a previous study regarding transgender news coverage. These indicators investigate what language is used and how it either legitimizes or delegitimizes transgender identities. Secondly, I am researching the different media resources used by transmasculine folks experiencing pregnancy and found online. These resources include books, movies, podcasts, social media pages, online articles, etc. The purpose of this is to understand what resources are available, what resources transmasculine communities are engaging with, and how these resources impact the broader understanding of media representation of transmasculine pregnancy. Ethics play a large role in this research due to the sensitive nature of the information and the impacts on the livelihood and identity of the individuals involved. When coding interviews, it is important for me to maintain confidentiality and sensitivity as individuals share personal experiences and aspects of their identities. Additionally, in this study, it is important to be reflexive and understand my own position within the research to avoid bias and uphold effective and ethical research.
