Psychological Processes Underlying the Impact of Gender-Related Discrimination on Psychological Distress in Transgender and Gender Nonconforming People

In this study we combined understanding from the Gender Minority Stress and Resilience (GMSR) model (Testa, Habarth, Peta, Balsam, & Bockting, 2015) and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT; Hayes, Strosahl, & Wilson, 1999, 2012) to test a theoretically integrated and expansive account of the development of psychological distress in transgender and gender nonconforming (TGNC) people. Specifically, we constructed a parallel multiple mediation model in which we examined the role of psychological processes deriving from the GMSR model (i.e., internalized transphobia and identity nondisclosure) and ACT (i.e., psychological inflexibility) in the relationship between gender-related discrimination and psychological distress (i.e., depression, anxiety and stress). We based this model upon data from a two-wave longitudinal panel design in which 358 TGNC people living in England responded to a battery of measures on two occasions, 12 months apart (herein, Time 1 and Time 2). Initial tests of model fit and temporal invariance indicated that our proposed measurement model offered an excellent fit to the data and demonstrated equivalence of measurement across the two study timepoints. Autoregressive cross-lagged manifest path analysis indicated that while our hypothesized full structural model offered an excellent fit to the data, psychological inflexibility alone mediated the relationships between gender-related discrimination and depression, anxiety and stress. Model comparison analysis confirmed the redundancy of internalized transphobia and identity nondisclosure as mediators and ruled out alternative patterns of causality. We discuss theoretical, empirical and practical implications for the field of TGNC mental health

Obstinate Fatties: fat activism, queer negativity, and the celebration of ‘obesity’

In the face of current ‘obesity epidemic’ rhetoric that pathologises and ridicules fat bodies, much activist work around fat acceptance is focused on humanising and redemptive efforts to reduce stigma and prejudice. However, amongst these earnest attempts to change public opinion there is a realm of decidedly queer fat activist activity that indulges in unabashed revelry in fatness, highlighting ways in which fat subjectivities are constructed through narratives of trauma, shame and ill-health. This article uses the lens of negativity emerging from queer theory to examine these queer acts of impudence and argue that there is something radically, queerly liberating at play in the audacious refusal to be a ‘good fatty’

Sizeism

People who are considered to be overweight or obese (as the medical terms have it) or fat (as many fat activists prefer to call their body size) suffer discrimination and humiliation (Lupton D. What does fat discrimination look like? The conversation. 3 Jan 2013. Retrieved from https://theconversation.com/what-does-fat-discrimination-look-like-10247). Being fat is a stigmatised condition and living as a fat person often includes being treated with disdain and disregard. People living with fat stigma impacts how they experience being in the world, including how they interact with healthcare professionals and their access to healthcare. Community attitudes and experiences of discrimination inevitably impact on a person’s ability to live well. The relationship between fat stigma and mental health is examined, and further brought into focus through scholarly discourse and personal experiences. Experiential activities where the learner can question and challenge stereotypes, their own perceptions and gain a better understanding of environmental, social and systemic issues faced by people living with fat stigma conclude this chapter