Nonbinary and Transgender Representation in Media: How Scripted Media Impacts and Shapes the Identities of Communities Outside the Gender Binary

Author

• Makenna Dykstra, California State University - San BernardinoFollow

Date of Award

5-2026

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts in Communication Studies

Department

Communication Studies

First Reader/Committee Chair

Algan, Ece

Abstract

The lack of, and otherwise poor, representation of nonbinary and trans communities contributes to the societal othering of these communities. However, nonbinary and trans representation holds importance to these communities. Trans and nonbinary communities, like other communities, use media to help them negotiate their identities (Hall, 2005). However, current representation in scripted television is small and contentious, with the ability to have just as much of a negative impact as a positive one. LGBTQ+ television has a history of favoring moderate depictions of queerness, like that in nonbinary and trans characters, as a means of defining these identities to cisgender audiences so their beliefs are not disrupted. As a result, real nonbinary and trans people are othered for their more diverse identities, as well as how they identify and define their queerness. Drawing from Queer and Reception theories, this qualitative study examined how trans and nonbinary communities engage with nonbinary and trans representation within scripted television, and how that impacts their self-identification. Focus groups were utilized in order to study through audience analysis the ways in which nonbinary and trans communities self-identify, and how that is impacted by the media they consume. Ultimately, through thematic analysis three main themes were found in the responses of participants: real world personal impact, authentic vs inauthentic representation, and what studios must do to insure authentic representation. Through these themes my research illustrates the importance of nonbinary and trans representation in not only giving these communities the means to identify themselves, but also the means to communicate identity with others. This study lends itself to media and cultural studies’ understanding of the ways in which trans and nonbinary communities connect to media, as well as the effect of poor media representation and a lack of representation entirely on their communities.

Recommended Citation

Dykstra, Makenna, "Nonbinary and Transgender Representation in Media: How Scripted Media Impacts and Shapes the Identities of Communities Outside the Gender Binary" (2026). Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations. 2424.
https://scholarworks.lib.csusb.edu/etd/2424