Emerson Todd

Hey #SFU Grad Studies this sounds like an idea you could copy. #AcademicSky #HigherEd

Bar chart showing time cable news spent covering Trump’s anti-trans executive orders from Jan 20 to Feb 19, 2025. Fox News: 4h 8m; MSNBC: 2h 33m; CNN: 2h 9m.

1/ New @mmfa.bsky.social analysis: Fox News dominated cable coverage of Trump’s anti-trans executive orders, spending nearly as much time on the topic as CNN and MSNBC combined. 🧵

Trump Decried Millions Spent 'Making Mice Transgender.' It Was Cancer and Asthma Research President Trump falsely claimed that Biden spent $8 million on 'making mice transgender,' but the real research was for human health.

Trump claimed the Biden administration spent $8 million "making mice transgender." The White House tried to back up this number with records of funding for research into cancer, asthma, and HIV, some of which used *transgenic* (genetically modified) mice.

We are experiencing an assault on science unparalleled by anything I’ve seen in my life. It’s not one issue or another anymore, the entire institution is under attack by the most powerful individuals in the country.

This Friday, where will you be?

standupforscience2025.org

"Because we need all hands on deck, and there's a lot of deck." - Rabbi Danya Ruttenberg

"Community is the antidote to fascism." - Jaclyn Friedman

A fantastic resource for those who want to fight this, but don't know where to start.

Undergraduate research opportunities are incredibly valuable, both for the students and for the progress of the work. And having undergraduate research experience is a massive help for grad school admission. REU cancellations harm students’ preparedness & career prospects, and slow research progress

A person (Emerson Todd) stands in front of a large SPSP sign posing. He has a grey plaid suit set with a black tshirt and boots. He wears an SPSP lanyard and name badge.

Four individuals posing together smiling after presenting an SPSP symposium.

A picture of a man presenting in front of a PowerPoint slide that reads “Takeaways”. The slide has a picture of Chappell roan. The picture is taken from the audience, capturing the back of audience members heads.

A person with short, curly dark hair, glasses, and light brown skin (Emerson) is posing outdoors in the snow at night. They are wearing a textured mustard-yellow sweater and brown pants, smiling with their hands cupped under their chin in a playful pose. Behind them, a decorated heart shaped arch made of evergreen garland covered in snow is adorned with colorful lights and red and pink heart-shaped ornaments. Snow is falling, and outdoor tables and chairs covered in snow are visible in the background, along with a warmly lit restaurant entrance.

Had so much fun in Denver at #SPSP2025. The air was thin but my heart was full (metaphorically speaking of course). Grateful to be part of such a wonderful research community.

11/
Thank you again to the NIH and Penn State CTSI for funding this work and our #trans participants and you reading for being part of my community.

10/ Bottom Line

Trans joy is relational. It’s built in moments of love, community, and shared experience. We can’t count on the state to keep us safe, but we can count on each other. Let’s keep building trans joy—together.

Alex, Trans man I feel like I experience the most joy when being accepted by others. Most often it is in the case of my partner and I, whereby we often use a mixed bag of gender pronouns to refer to each other. I feel like I have always been fluid in my gender and just hearing these small words of affirmation throughout the day from someone I care about is extremely meaningful. Marla, Trans Woman When I am with my girlfriend, I feel like I am able to truly express my gender identity and feel joyful. She fully embraces and affirms me. She helped me set up my first appointment to get HRT and help me pick out my first dress and feminine outfit. Spending time with her brings me joy, as I am able to fully express my identity...

9/ 💕 Romantic Relationships 💕

Positive romantic relationships predicted trans joy (and I always tear up at this qualitative data).

More research is needed on direction—do good relationships increase trans joy, or do those feeling more trans joy seek positive relationships?

Path mediation model noting a significant, positive relationship from social media to trans joy through the indirect pathway of community connection. The direct path is negative and statistically insignificant.

Wren, Trans Masc NB I follow some transmasculine and nonbinary people on social media that talk about trans activism and visibility. I also have joined several transmasculine and nonbinary subreddits where I can see and interact with others who are similar to me.

8/ 💬 Social Media 📱
Using an in development TGD social media use scale we found that social media use increased feelings of community connection which resulted in more trans Joy.

Notably, older trans adults may use social media less, leading to weaker connections.

Whenever I am feeling joyful or happy about my gender expression... I am usually in the company of other people with trans identities... we understand each other's struggles and ambitions... we have a special perspective on life and can relate to each other in these really peculiar, hyper specific ways. - Cassidy, Trans Woman

7/ 🏳️‍⚧️ Community 👥

Being with other trans folks, and feeling more connected to the trans community predicted trans joy (even when accounting for past microaggressions in other relationships)

A digital infographic titled ‘QUALITATIVE Analysis’ presents findings on actions individuals take to feel joyful about their gender expression and identity. The background features a gradient of pink and purple hues. The central question reads: ‘What actions do you take (or have you taken) to feel joyful about your gender expression and gender identity? When do you do them? How do you enact small moments of joy?’ Below this, six categories are displayed in square icons with purple illustrations and participant counts (n values). The categories include: 1. ‘Self’ (n = 299) – represented by an icon of a person looking in a mirror. 2. ‘Family’ (n = 19) – depicted by an icon of three people, representing familial relationships. 3. ‘Friendship’ (n = 68) – illustrated by a group of five people standing together. 4. ‘Romance’ (n = 33) – represented by two overlapping hearts. 5. ‘TGD Community’ (n = 80) – illustrated by a group of people with heart, like, and speech bubble icons above them. 6. ‘Broader Community’ (n = 49) – shown with interconnected circles, symbolizing wider community connections.

6/ Overview:
We aimed to examine a variety of relationships (TGD community, social media, and romantic relationships) through a mixed-methods Qualtrics survey of 389 TGD participants via Prolific.

A screenshot of the first page of the article titled ‘Transgender Joy: Flipping the Script of Marginality’ by Laurel Westbrook and Stef M. Shuster. The title is in bold, followed by the authors’ names in a smaller, bold font. Below, the abstract states: “Though it is vital to attend to oppression and inequality, telling stories about trans joy helps scholars, trans people, and the public understand the full complexity of trans people’s lived experiences. Noticing, nurturing, and celebrating joy is a vital form of resistance for marginalized communities.” At the bottom, a section labeled ‘Keywords’ lists relevant terms: transgender, joy, inequality, gender, marginalization, and knowledge.

5/
We suggest, building on framework from Westbrook and Schuester (2022) that Trans Joy is not just individual, but built through relationships.

4/ side note 📝

While deficit-based research is important (and I’ve done it myself!), it can also reinforce normative narratives that are used to harm trans people.

A screenshot of the first page of the article ‘Suspending Damage: A Letter to Communities’ by Eve Tuck, published under the affiliation of the State University of New York, New Paltz. The title is in a large, italicized serif font, followed by the author’s name and affiliation in smaller text. Below this, the abstract summarizes the article’s argument: “In this open letter, Eve Tuck calls on communities, researchers, and educators to reconsider the long-term impact of “damage-centered” research—research that intends to document peoples’ pain and brokenness to hold those in power accountable for their oppression. This kind of research operates with a flawed theory of change: it is often used to leverage reparations or resources for marginalized communities yet simultane- ously reinforces and reinscribes a one-dimensional notion of these people as depleted, ruined, and hopeless. Tuck urges communities to institute a moratorium on damage- centered research to reformulate the ways research is framed and conducted and to reimagine how findings might be used by, for, and with communities.”

3/

In a time when trans people are frequently told they should feel shame, sadness, or fear for being transgender, joy is an act of resistance.

Similarly our research can do the same by taking a strength-based approach (Tuck, 2009).

2/ What is Trans Joy?

In this talk, I conceptualize trans Joy as not only happiness, but a deep sense of fulfillment and well-being related to being transgender or gender diverse (TGD).

1/ First I want to thank @spspnews.bsky.social and my copresenters for this opportunity, my mentor @jesmatsick.bsky.social for believing in me, and my collaborators for making this a reality.

Now on to the talk

Photo focus: A man (Emerson Todd) stands behind a podium, delivering a talk at SPSP 2025 in a large conference room. A large screen displays a PowerPoint slide titled ‘Trans Joy,’ which includes a definition and bullet points discussing the concept, along with an images representing the topic. Room description: The audience, consisting of attendees seated at rows of tables, faces the speaker. The image is taken from the back of the room, capturing the backs of the attendees’ heads. The conference room has beige walls and a patterned blue carpet. Some attendees have notebooks, drinks, and bags on their tables.

I was honored this week to give my first talk (of hopefully many) at #SPSP2025

🏳️‍⚧️ Growing Together: Trans Joy & Relationships 🏳️‍⚧️

A quick thread 🧵 👇

Sorry I didn’t get to see it!!

1. You should definitely come see us talk about exciting research in a critical and timely moment. 2. I need a new headshot

Donald Trump is so determined to discriminate against trans people that he would issue an executive order threatening funding for hospitals and health centers that provide care for every American just to bully transgender children. Disgusting.

I will not stop fighting to protect trans rights.

A screenshot of a multi‐column table listing several U.S. presidential Executive Orders relating to LGBTQ+ rights and antidiscrimination policies. Each row has columns for “Origin” (POTUS), “Number/Identifier” (e.g., EO 13988), “Title” (such as Preventing and Combating Discrimination…), “Action Type” (e.g., Broad Nondiscrimination, Military Nondiscrimination), “Summary” (key points of each order), and “Date Signed.” The listed orders span from early 2021 through early 2025, covering topics like preventing discrimination based on gender identity or sexual orientation, banning conversion therapy, rescinding prior harmful EOs, and restricting or expanding DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) initiatives.

A spreadsheet at the top shows columns tracking anti‐LGBTQ bills by status and year: total bills (334), 2025 bills (327), 2024 rollovers (7), how many passed committees (3), passed one chamber (5), passed both chambers (0), enacted (1), vetoed (0), failed (3), and carried forward (0). Below that, another header row lists different types of anti‐LGBTQ legislation (e.g., gender‐affirming care bans, pronoun bans, “Don’t Say Gay,” drag bans, bathroom bans) with the total count of each category (e.g., 55 for gender‐affirming care bans, 20 for pronoun bans, 14 for “Don’t Say Gay,” etc.). A color‐coded U.S. map spans the lower half, with states shaded from light orange to deep red according to how many anti‐LGBTQ bills they contain. Texas appears in the darkest red (46 bills), with lighter shades indicating fewer bills in other states. A note at the bottom right explains that the map shows total tracked bills per state, which does not necessarily reflect each bill’s likelihood of passage.

We've created a tracker that covers all executive orders affecting LGBTQ folks along with federal and state legislation.

We're at 334 anti-LGBTQ bills.

docs.google.com/spreadsheets...

Credit
@alli.gay
@erininthemorning.com
@evanurquhart.bsky.social
@miralazine.bsky.social
@lizsaila.bsky.social

the goal of trans panic is enforcing gender norms on everyone [always has been dot jpg]

Current internal battle: Should I be terrified of Trump on main, or should I recognize that pretending like he has powers he does not have helps to grant him those powers.

Transgender people have always been here, and we’re not going anywhere. Count on it.

Weird that we have to say this, but the government doesn’t get to decide what gender a person is.

I know this should motivate me to do my research more than ever, but lately, I’ve felt less like a researcher and more like a scared trans person just trying to exist.

Not to be bleak, but does anyone else find it hard to stay motivated when facing federally sanctioned eradication? Grad school is hard enough without staring down the barrel of a metaphorical gun.