Papers by Dr. Jordan Forrest Miller
Dissertation, 2022
Building on previous trans YouTube scholarship, this dissertation is based on a content analysis ... more Building on previous trans YouTube scholarship, this dissertation is based on a content analysis of two digital activism projects: 1) #WeHappyTrans*, a compilation of 59 YouTube video responses posted between 2012 and 2018, and 2) #TheGenderTag, a compilation of 704 YouTube video responses posted between 2016 and 2019. By analyzing the audio and visuals of a subsample (N=80) of these two archives using theoretical and emerging codes, I identified key themes as relevant to digital activism effectiveness and well-being. I discuss implications for policy, public health, healthcare, and community organizing in the conclusion. Contrasting prior medical sociology literature that is not presented from the perspective of trans people and primarily focuses on negative aspects of trans lived experience, I have employed a transfeminist methodology that centers self-definition and self-determination. My methods are heavily informed by transnormativity and intersectionality scholarship. In addition to providing an example of how transfeminist methodology can be applied in the context of digital media, this dissertation fills a crucial gap in literature focusing on qualities of trans lived experience that contribute to increased QoL. My hope is that the findings of this study will be considered collaboratively between scholars and activists in many contexts, including within the growing fields of health informatics technologies and trans public health. The findings of this study are also relevant to several ongoing discussions within the fields of sociology, public health, cultural and media studies, and queer and trans theory.
Gerontology & Geriatric Medicine, 2019
More openly sexually and gender diverse people are aging into later life across the world as gene... more More openly sexually and gender diverse people are aging into later life across the world as generational transitions
occur. People identifying many different ways beyond cisgender and heterosexual are diverse with respect to many
other characteristics and sociopolitical locations across the globe and may thus experience a wide array of health
journeys both individually and as partners in intimate relationships. In this review article, we summarize the major
contributions of and ongoing gaps in existing studies about such couples’ experiences of chronic disease management
in later life. We focus on three key groups of findings from prior research about the health of older sexually and/
or gender diverse couples: care practices, unmet needs, and diverse resources. We outline priorities for future
research within and across these topic areas and in varied locations, with unique recommendations for scholars
in both academic and clinical settings. These recommendations support greater integration of such populations,
topics, and needs in existing discourse on aging and late life. Likewise, recommendations from this review illuminate
potential best practices for engaging and serving these elders in both academic and applied settings.
Social Work in Health Care, 2018
Using 2015 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System data,
this study investigates whether trans... more Using 2015 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System data,
this study investigates whether transgender men have equal
access to health care and engagement in preventive health
behaviors compared to cisgender adults in the U.S. and
whether race/ethnicity, socioeconomic status, and rural residence
moderate these relationships. Once controlling for
sociodemographic factors, we do not find differences for transgender
men. Rural transgender men were less likely to have a
personal doctor or receive a blood cholesterol screening than
their urban peers; transgender men with less education were
more likely to have a cholesterol screening. We detail implications
for social workers within health care.
Journal of Homosexuality, 2018
In this article, I discuss how transnormativity can be disrupted by
not exaggerating the physica... more In this article, I discuss how transnormativity can be disrupted by
not exaggerating the physical aspects of medical transition and by
engaging in conversations around consequential sources of tension
within gender and sexual minority communities, namely linguistic
understandings of trans and gendered racism within white,
gay, cisgender communities toward trans communities of color.
This study is based on qualitative interviews with six trans
YouTubers; these interviews were complemented by analyses of
these YouTubers’ videos and select comments on these videos.
With this exploratory study, I aim to provide nuance to existing
lesbian, gay, bisexual, and trans (LGBT) YouTube literature through
highlighting the experiences of nonbinary trans vloggers and trans
vloggers of color, regardless of medical transition status, as well as
contribute a transfeminist analysis to ongoing conversations
around transnormativity within sociology, cultural and media studies,
and queer and trans theory.
Master's thesis, 2016
In June 2015, Caitlyn Jenner created waves of excitement with her coming out announcement on the ... more In June 2015, Caitlyn Jenner created waves of excitement with her coming out announcement on the cover of Vanity Fair: "Call me Caitlyn." From the perspective of critical trans politics, however, the heightened visibility of trans people in mainstream media does not call for unequivocal celebration. Though trans women of color, such as Laverne Cox and Janet Mock, are more visible in mainstream media than ever before, mainstream media still largely depicts trans people through white constructs of what it means to be trans, namely medicalized binary transitions. Many trans people who deviate from mainstream media's depiction of trans people are creating their own media on YouTube to voice their lived experiences. I argue that while YouTube is a particularly accessible platform for trans people to challenge transnormativity, the reach of trans YouTubers' messages are highly limited by the medium's design and genre conventions.
Conference Presentations by Dr. Jordan Forrest Miller
Transgender Men, Health Care Access, and Preventive Health Behaviors
Book Reviews by Dr. Jordan Forrest Miller
Transgender Studies Quarterly , 2021
In her critical ethnography, Miriam J. Abelson offers an in-depth comparative analysis of qualita... more In her critical ethnography, Miriam J. Abelson offers an in-depth comparative analysis of qualitative interviews with sixty-six trans men living in urban, suburban, and rural areas of Southern, Midwestern, and Western regions of the United States. Roughly a fifth of the participants were people of color, and participants varied in age from nineteen to fifty-five. Abelson offers a nuanced understanding of how masculinities and manhood are socially constructed across geographical location and are influenced by media consumption. Using an intersectional lens, Abelson demonstrates how local knowledges of masculinity and manhood impact the ways in which trans men navigate the spaces they inhabit and the level of authenticity they are able to embody in these spaces. Abelson grounds her analysis in critical transfeminist methodologies and provides methodological reflections on the experience of interviewing trans men as a researcher who is neither trans nor a man but is perceived to be a trans man by some of her interview participants. These reflections are excellent examples of the value of applying transfeminist methodologies and the possibilities created through coalition across identities.
Out Online: Trans Self-Representation and Community Building on YouTube, Tobias Raun (2016), 2017
Uploads
Papers by Dr. Jordan Forrest Miller
occur. People identifying many different ways beyond cisgender and heterosexual are diverse with respect to many
other characteristics and sociopolitical locations across the globe and may thus experience a wide array of health
journeys both individually and as partners in intimate relationships. In this review article, we summarize the major
contributions of and ongoing gaps in existing studies about such couples’ experiences of chronic disease management
in later life. We focus on three key groups of findings from prior research about the health of older sexually and/
or gender diverse couples: care practices, unmet needs, and diverse resources. We outline priorities for future
research within and across these topic areas and in varied locations, with unique recommendations for scholars
in both academic and clinical settings. These recommendations support greater integration of such populations,
topics, and needs in existing discourse on aging and late life. Likewise, recommendations from this review illuminate
potential best practices for engaging and serving these elders in both academic and applied settings.
this study investigates whether transgender men have equal
access to health care and engagement in preventive health
behaviors compared to cisgender adults in the U.S. and
whether race/ethnicity, socioeconomic status, and rural residence
moderate these relationships. Once controlling for
sociodemographic factors, we do not find differences for transgender
men. Rural transgender men were less likely to have a
personal doctor or receive a blood cholesterol screening than
their urban peers; transgender men with less education were
more likely to have a cholesterol screening. We detail implications
for social workers within health care.
not exaggerating the physical aspects of medical transition and by
engaging in conversations around consequential sources of tension
within gender and sexual minority communities, namely linguistic
understandings of trans and gendered racism within white,
gay, cisgender communities toward trans communities of color.
This study is based on qualitative interviews with six trans
YouTubers; these interviews were complemented by analyses of
these YouTubers’ videos and select comments on these videos.
With this exploratory study, I aim to provide nuance to existing
lesbian, gay, bisexual, and trans (LGBT) YouTube literature through
highlighting the experiences of nonbinary trans vloggers and trans
vloggers of color, regardless of medical transition status, as well as
contribute a transfeminist analysis to ongoing conversations
around transnormativity within sociology, cultural and media studies,
and queer and trans theory.
Conference Presentations by Dr. Jordan Forrest Miller
Book Reviews by Dr. Jordan Forrest Miller
occur. People identifying many different ways beyond cisgender and heterosexual are diverse with respect to many
other characteristics and sociopolitical locations across the globe and may thus experience a wide array of health
journeys both individually and as partners in intimate relationships. In this review article, we summarize the major
contributions of and ongoing gaps in existing studies about such couples’ experiences of chronic disease management
in later life. We focus on three key groups of findings from prior research about the health of older sexually and/
or gender diverse couples: care practices, unmet needs, and diverse resources. We outline priorities for future
research within and across these topic areas and in varied locations, with unique recommendations for scholars
in both academic and clinical settings. These recommendations support greater integration of such populations,
topics, and needs in existing discourse on aging and late life. Likewise, recommendations from this review illuminate
potential best practices for engaging and serving these elders in both academic and applied settings.
this study investigates whether transgender men have equal
access to health care and engagement in preventive health
behaviors compared to cisgender adults in the U.S. and
whether race/ethnicity, socioeconomic status, and rural residence
moderate these relationships. Once controlling for
sociodemographic factors, we do not find differences for transgender
men. Rural transgender men were less likely to have a
personal doctor or receive a blood cholesterol screening than
their urban peers; transgender men with less education were
more likely to have a cholesterol screening. We detail implications
for social workers within health care.
not exaggerating the physical aspects of medical transition and by
engaging in conversations around consequential sources of tension
within gender and sexual minority communities, namely linguistic
understandings of trans and gendered racism within white,
gay, cisgender communities toward trans communities of color.
This study is based on qualitative interviews with six trans
YouTubers; these interviews were complemented by analyses of
these YouTubers’ videos and select comments on these videos.
With this exploratory study, I aim to provide nuance to existing
lesbian, gay, bisexual, and trans (LGBT) YouTube literature through
highlighting the experiences of nonbinary trans vloggers and trans
vloggers of color, regardless of medical transition status, as well as
contribute a transfeminist analysis to ongoing conversations
around transnormativity within sociology, cultural and media studies,
and queer and trans theory.