During a summer research program at UC Santa Cruz, I collaborated with a group and a graduate student mentor to conduct a qualitative analysis addressing the representation of anti-trans legislation in the media compared to its portrayal in the actual legislative texts. Our research question was: How is anti-trans legislation represented in the media versus how is it represented in the actual legislation?

To explore this question, we employed two primary methods: legislative analysis and thematic analysis. We scrutinized three specific pieces of legislation passed in 2024:

1. The Women's Safety and Protection Act of Louisiana

2. The Safer Act of Mississippi

3. Compelled Speech, Pronouns, Titles from Idaho

Our analysis aimed to uncover discrepancies and alignments between media narratives and legislative language, providing insights into the broader discourse surrounding anti-trans policies.

Please feel free to click the photo to see our presentation.