Avenue T: using film as entrée in teaching about transgender

Educators from a variety of disciplines include the concept of transgender and multiple gender identities in course curricula. The 'T' (denoting the specific inclusion of transgender) in the popular acronym LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender) often is given less pedagogical attention than is sexual orientation, and the transgender concept often is taught in the context of sexual orientation. An experimental study was conducted to determine if a brief film intervention would yield differences in knowledge of the transgender concept. Individuals were randomly assigned to one of three conditions. Conditions varied to include no exposure to the concept of being transgender, a 14-minute news documentary about the transgender concept, or a 28-minute news documentary about the transgender concept. Results supported hypotheses that a brief film intervention would produce higher accuracy of transgender knowledge. In addition, and supporting the contact hypothesis, participants with a transgender friend reported less transphobia and more empathy for transgender individuals.