Delegitimizing Tactics in Media Coverage of Trans Athlete Sport Bans: A Cross-Platform Comparison of U.S. Media Framing

This study compares U.S. news coverage and social media conversations surrounding transgender youth sports bans in 2022 by analyzing 210 newspaper articles and 6405 Twitter (X) posts. This study investigates the reliance on delegitimizing language, the weaponization of scientific perspectives, and the relative invisibility of transgender voices in mediated debates about participation in youth sports. Findings show delegitimatizing language targeting trans youth is most prevalent in social media conversations compared to news discourses. The vast majority of news reports (80%) and social media posts (95%) failed to include transgender voices. This study thus demonstrates how various forms of delegitimization are cultivated within news and social media environments, highlights the erasure of trans voices, and discusses the consequences of these mediated conversations for journalists, social media users, trans athletes and LGBTQ+ youth.