ABSTRACT
Although transgender men experience elevated levels of violence and harm compared to members of the general U.S. population, relatively little attention has been paid to these victims in the media. This chapter uses three noteworthy case studies—Brandon Teena, Kayden Clarke, and Tony McDade—as entry points for discussing news coverage of these incidents and the deployment of anti-trans stereotypes and victim-blaming rhetoric against transmasculine victims. In addition, this chapter uses an intersectional approach to examine how facets of identity such as race, trauma history, and mental health diagnoses factor into depictions of trans men in the news media. These cases demonstrate continued patterns of misgendering and victim-blaming transmasculine subjects, as well as a lack of attention to the social and psychological obstacles that render trans men vulnerable to harm and make it difficult for them to access institutional resources.
