UK Regional Network
QueerViBE is an online educative resource designed to develop resilience and well-being and empower gender minority youth (GMY). It has been developed and tested with a small sample of GMY with the intention of supporting the validation of a trans identity among trans young people. The intervention consists of a series of interactive online tutorials each informed by the findings of focus groups with trans and non-binary youth with an emphasis on queer understanding of gender and sexuality and how to respond to prejudicial interactions. Preliminary evidence for its utility is promising. The aim of the current project is to:
Determine the utility of QueerViBE as an effective tool for promoting positive health outcomes for gender minority youth
Explore the extent to which QueerViBE can be developed as a prejudice reduction intervention for non-trans populations
Using quasi-experimental methods, the research team will enhance and adapt the online resource and further test its utility as a tool to support positive trans identity and increase awareness of trans issues. Phase 2 of the study has focussed on developing comparable intervention materials for transfeminine youth with the qualitative data collection of an additional 12 young people’s experiences currently complete. The preliminary results of this analysis show that transfem youth engage in activities such as managing cisnormative expectations, responding to online microaggressions particularly from TERF activists which lead to their own cis-piscions regarding their perceived level of threat.
The final phase will be a further assessment of the online intervention with both transmasculine and transfeminine youth.