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Few studies have examined how gender variance (GV), broadly defined as gender identity and behaviors (e.g., activities and preferences) that do not correspond with culturally defined gender norms, manifests in community samples, particularly in children and outside Western contexts. We present data based on the Gender Identity Questionnaire for Children (GIQC; Johnson et al., 2004) among 461 Chinese community children (4–12 years old) to gauge how well the GIQC serves as a measure of GV and the prevalence of GV. We examined the descriptive scores of GV, its relationship to a gender-typing measure that has been validated in Chinese children (the Child Play Behavior and Activity Questionnaire, CPBAQ), the scores on the GIQC of children whose gender is incongruent with birth-assigned sex, and the binned category distributions (from gender-variant to gender-conforming) in comparison to a Canadian community sample (van der Miesen et al., 2018). The Chinese children on average scored toward the gender-conforming end and children assigned female at birth showed more GV than children assigned male at birth. More importantly, the GIQC appears to be a reliable and sensitive measure of GV in the Chinese sample. GIQC scores correlated significantly with CPBAQ scores and showed a very similar reliability coefficient, gender difference effect size, and bin distribution pattern as the Canadian reference sample. Also, children reported as gender/sex incongruent had the most gender-variant GIQC scores. Although clinically gender-referred Chinese children are required to establish culturally specific cutoff points, these findings provide initial evidence for the characteristics of GV, the applicability of the GIQC as a measure of GV in Chinese community children, and the comparisons of GIQC categories between Chinese and Canadian community samples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Emerging evidence suggests that gender dysphoria or gender diversity (GD) intersects frequently with autism spectrum disorder or autism traits. However, the magnitude and interpretation of this link continue to be debated. Most child studies on this topic were performed in clinical populations, and little is known about the generalizability of this co‐occurrence to the broader community, especially to non‐Western samples. Also, little is known about whether specific subdomains of autism are more strongly associated with GD. Therefore, we investigated GD and its association with autism traits in a Chinese community sample of 4–12‐year‐olds (N = 379; 51% birth‐assigned girls). Parents provided information about GD characteristics using the standardized Gender Identity Questionnaire for Children and autism traits using the Chinese version of the Autism‐Spectrum Quotient‐Children. In addition, broader behavioral and emotional challenges were measured by the Behavior Problem Index (BPI) to account for psychological challenges other than autism traits. In this community sample of Chinese children, increased GD was associated with increased autism traits, even after accounting for the BPI. Of the four subscales, the Imagination and Patterns subscales in birth‐assigned girls and the Imagination subscale in birth‐assigned boys were especially associated with GD. These findings indicate that the association between GD and autism traits generalizes to a nonclinical, non‐Western sample. Clinicians and researchers working with clinical as well as community children should thus pay attention to the co‐occurrence of GD and autism traits, in and outside the West. Lay Summary: Despite evidence of a potential co‐occurrence of autism and gender diversity (i.e., gender role behaviors that do not follow cultural gender norms), whether this link occurs in community and non‐Western samples remains unclear. We found that Chinese children with increased gender diversity had increased autism traits in specific domains. The findings call for attention to gender diversity in autistic children and to autism traits in gender‐diverse children, including those in non‐Western countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper discusses the development and testing of a new composite scale for measuring gender diversity, for use in survey research and statistical analysis: the Gender Variance Scale (GVS). The GVS measures gender diversity on a spectrum and can be used across both cisgender and trans populations to identify experiences of gender beyond a basic male/female sex binary. The GVS was piloted with a sample of 1,776 adolescents and young people ages 14–24 years, in the context of a broader study exploring the relationships between gender variance, young people's experiences and wellbeing. Analysis of data indicated that the GVS contained both face and construct validity and reliability in the context of the pilot study. In addition, the data revealed some interesting associations between the GVS and other demographic features of the sample of youth surveyed; for example, higher levels of gender variance were associated with being lesbian, gay or bisexual and having a disability. The findings of this study may be of interest for building a stronger empirical understanding of gender diversity and its intersections with other aspects of identity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract\nLAY SUMMARYSexual imagery and fantasy are key aspects of human sexuality: they are associated with sexual arousal and are reflective of societal influences on sexuality. In addition, they are thought to play a role in sexual activation, desire and personal satisfaction. The current study aimed to investigate the sexual imagery on a sample (N = 5043) of the Italian population adapting the questionnaire used by an American study about the same topic (Lehmiller, 2018). Most participants (82%) think that sharing sexual fantasies with their partner improved their relationship, while the most common fantasy in the sample (60%) is seeking “novelty or having new or exciting sexual experiences.” People with a gender identity other than biological sex report the fantasy of having a different body during sexual intercourse and are more prone to having sex with transgender or cross-dressed people than respondents with congruence between gender identity and biological sex. Conversely, they report less interest in vaginal sex. This study offers a general but innovative overview of the Italian sexual imaginary.Our study investigates the sexual imagery of an Italian sample, its characteristics and the place it occupies in people’s sex lives. This research offers a deeper understanding of the sexual fantasies of the Italian population and how they influence sexual satisfaction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This study surveyed a national sample of inpatient pediatric behavioral health facilities on policies related to care for transgender and gender-expansive (TGE) youth to assess adherence to best practices. Methods: Staff/providers at youth inpatient psychiatric facilities were recruited by phone or email. Participants completed an electronic survey on facilities' training policies, staff comfort related to gender diversity, and other policies related to caring for TGE youth. Results: Of 479 potential participating facilities, 124 surveys were initiated and 59 were completed. Measures to ensure accessibility to TGE patients are present in many facilities surveyed, with most reporting that their facility had nondiscrimination policies in place (86.2%) and required training on working with TGE patients (52.5%). A minority of participants (12.1%) reported that their facility roomed TGE youth based on sex assigned at birth, although only a small portion roomed based on gender identity alone (19.0%). Slightly more than two-thirds stated that their facility had individual restrooms available. Most participants (74.6%) stated that facility staff were comfortable discussing gender diversity in general, although this was less common for other topics related to TGE patient care. Conclusion: Our survey highlights efforts made by inpatient behavioral health facilities to ensure accessibility of services to TGE youth, although our results showed notable differences across facilities. Given inconsistent federal protections for TGE patients, there remains a need for efforts to ensure that TGE youth are receiving all possible support in these treatment settings, such as accessible restrooms and bedroom assignments, as well as the opportunity to room with peers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research shows elevated gender variance among autistic people and more autistic traits among gender diverse people, each of which is related to mental health concerns. Little work has explored broad features of these presentations in a non-clinical sample. College students (n = 174) ages 18–22 years completed questionnaires assessing the broader autism phenotype (BAP), autistic features, nonconformity to gender norms, and internalizing symptoms. Those with more BAP features or autistic communication reported more nonconformity to gender norms. Higher levels of internalizing symptoms were related to more gender nonconformity, BAP, and autistic features. Gender nonconformity marginally moderated the effect of BAP on depression but not anxiety. The BAP, autistic features, and gender nonconformity are important in understanding mental well-being. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this interview essay, stef torralba talks with scholar-critic Alexander Ghedi Weheliye about the author's scholarly work, writing practice, and musical inclinations, as well as the current state and future directions of Critical Black Studies. Taking inspiration from Weheliye's interests in the textures of Black, BlackFem, and Black queer and gender-variant life and aesthetics as discussed in the interview, torralba offers texturality as an analytic that characterizes the scholar-critic's work. Together, the essay and interview highlight how Weheliye's oeuvre enables more nuanced and capacious, and thus textural and textured, imaginings of humanity, technology, political subjecthood, and modernity that center the experiences of Black, BlackFem, and Black queer and gender-variant subjects. Weheliye's attention to technologized Black and Black queer and feminist sonic aesthetics from the early twentieth century to the present as spaces to feel out the textures of other worlds renders his scholarship and thinking essential to this special issue's engagements with the disruptive and insurgent dimensions of Black queer musical aesthetics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: The evolution of knowledge and recommendations concerning transgender health has led to various representations, especially for health professionals, that can influence the medical management of transgender individuals. The main objective of this study was to explore the representation of psychiatrists in France regarding gender variance. The secondary objective was to compare these data based on their characteristics., Methods: This is a cross-sectional observational study based on the distribution in April 2022 of a questionnaire to psychiatrists and psychiatric residents in France. The questionnaire was developed after exploring the results of qualitative studies in the scientific literature., Results: Among 359 respondents, 181 were psychiatric residents and 178 were senior psychiatrists. Ninety percent had already met a transgender person in their professional practice. The representations observed among the respondents were heterogeneous. Most respondents did not consider "transgenderism" a symptom of a psychiatric disorder, and nearly all respondents used the gender and name their patients ask for. About 60% reported insufficient knowledge about "transgenderism", with 86% considering that they had not been trained to adequately support transgender people., Conclusions: The study reveals that representations, although weakened by a lack of knowledge recognized by psychiatrists, favor a non-pathologizing apprehension of gender variance and recognition of the importance of respecting gender diversity and self-determination. The heterogeneity of representations, as well as the high prevalence of professionals who describe a lack of knowledge, skills, and training, support the need for guidelines and the integration of evidence-based knowledge about gender variance into the psychiatric curriculum., (Copyright © 2024 L'Encéphale, Paris. Published by Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.)

With Richa Jha and Gautam Benegal's picturebook The Unboy Boy (2013), India acquired the notion of alternative masculinity in children's literature for perhaps the first time, and initiated the depiction in picturebooks of male characters who love soft toys, cook, dance, and dress in a way considered feminine. This article turns the critical lens toward gender codes that form the basis for masculinity discourses. Primarily drawing on Connell's concept of hegemonic masculinity, it explores how contemporary Indian picturebooks in English are challenging the representation of traditional masculinity. Through the lens of content analysis, this qualitative research adopts a multimodal approach and scrutinizes three other picturebooks: Abba's Day (2017) by Sunaina Ali and Debasmita Dasgupta, Kali Wants to Dance (2018) by Aparna Karthikeyan and Somesh Kumar, and Guthli Has Wings (2019) by Kanak Shashi. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Adults and children with gender variance (GV) face misunderstanding and discrimination, sometimes leading to mental health difficulties. Family support has been found to buffer these difficulties or to compound them when lacking (Westwater et al., 2019). However, little is known about how GV is considered in the context of families. In the current study, online story completion elicited forty‐five narratives of family life where a protagonist discloses their GV. The older the protagonist, the more seriously their disclosure was taken. All family members were depicted as being impacted by the disclosure, and social stigma and bullying were often the expected consequence. Heteronormative and gender‐binary thinking dominated the stories both in the descriptions of the protagonist's transition from one gender to another, and in the descriptions of the gender‐typical behaviour of the other family members. Non‐binary genders were rarely considered, and a dysphoric view of GV was often held. Practitioner pointsThis study confirmed that heteronormative and binary‐gendered views predominate society, and so families, who will want to protect and support their GV member, will value support from therapists to navigate this territory.Family therapy is helpful to explore the multiple perspectives held within families when one member discloses gender variance, and challenge heteronormative and gender‐binary discourses.Non‐binary identities should be supported as a valid identity in their own right and not a transition point from one gender to another. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Emerging evidence suggests that gender dysphoria or gender diversity (GD) intersects frequently with autism spectrum disorder or autism traits. However, the magnitude and interpretation of this link continue to be debated. Most child studies on this topic were performed in clinical populations, and little is known about the generalizability of this co-occurrence to the broader community, especially to non-Western samples. Also, little is known about whether specific subdomains of autism are more strongly associated with GD. Therefore, we investigated GD and its association with autism traits in a Chinese community sample of 4-12-year-olds (N = 379; 51% birth-assigned girls). Parents provided information about GD characteristics using the standardized Gender Identity Questionnaire for Children and autism traits using the Chinese version of the Autism-Spectrum Quotient-Children. In addition, broader behavioral and emotional challenges were measured by the Behavior Problem Index (BPI) to account for psychological challenges other than autism traits. In this community sample of Chinese children, increased GD was associated with increased autism traits, even after accounting for the BPI. Of the four subscales, the Imagination and Patterns subscales in birth-assigned girls and the Imagination subscale in birth-assigned boys were especially associated with GD. These findings indicate that the association between GD and autism traits generalizes to a nonclinical, non-Western sample. Clinicians and researchers working with clinical as well as community children should thus pay attention to the co-occurrence of GD and autism traits, in and outside the West., (© 2023 The Authors. Autism Research published by International Society for Autism Research and Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

Purpose: To examine distance traveled to an urban community health center by gender-expansive and cisgender participants., Methods: Client-reported zip code of residence from archival data ( N =2677) was used. A chi-square test of independence and a Mann-Whitney-Wilcoxon test were conducted., Results: Gender-expansive clients travel farther to access health care from this clinic; this is true for clients who live within the city, within the state, and in the neighboring states., Conclusion: Trans people experience travel distance as a barrier to accessing quality health care. Broadening telehealth services and working with rural health care providers to develop transition-related health care knowledge are key., Competing Interests: No competing financial interests., (Copyright 2022, Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers.)