iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

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.

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.

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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.

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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.

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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?

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...

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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.

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.

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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)

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

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 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.

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

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.

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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.

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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).

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.”

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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).

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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

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Emerson Todd @emersont.bsky.social · 22/02/2025

I was honored this week to give my first talk (of hopefully many) at #SPSP2025 🏳️‍⚧️ Growing Together: Trans Joy & Relationships 🏳️‍⚧️ A quick thread 🧵 👇

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.

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Sorry I didn’t get to see it!!

Emerson Todd @emersont.bsky.social · 18/02/2025

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

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Reposted by Emerson Todd

Senator Ed Markey @markey.senate.gov · 30/01/2025

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.

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Reposted by Emerson Todd

Alejandra Caraballo @esqueer.net · 29/01/2025

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

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.

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Reposted by Emerson Todd

Joshua Erlich @joshuaerlich.bsky.social · 23/01/2025

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

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Reposted by Emerson Todd

Hank Green @hankgreen.bsky.social · 22/01/2025

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.

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Reposted by Emerson Todd

ACLU @aclu.org · 21/01/2025

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

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Reposted by Emerson Todd

Hank Green @hankgreen.bsky.social · 20/01/2025

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

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Emerson Todd @emersont.bsky.social · 20/01/2025

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.

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Emerson Todd @emersont.bsky.social · 20/01/2025

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.

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Reposted by Emerson Todd

👻 Dead Chachra 💀 @debcha.bsky.social · 09/01/2025

Occasional reminder that there’s no, “it’s too late, its over” for anthropogenic climate change. Every molecule of CO2 that doesn’t go into the atmosphere makes a difference. Preventing 0.1 degree of warming makes a difference. Every bit of climate resilience we build together makes a difference.

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Emerson Todd @emersont.bsky.social · 04/12/2024

I should probably not admit this on a professional account, but, today, at 26 years old I have finally reached the point where I don’t have to look up the amount of days in a given month.

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Emerson Todd @emersont.bsky.social · 28/11/2024

Very relatable. I find myself forgetting things all the time with topamax. I also space out frequently. My weirdest side effect is that I can no longer taste carbonation.

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Hello! I would love to be added please!

I would love to be added! Thank you in advance!

Evan Greer @evangreer.bsky.social · 26/11/2024

Reposted by Emerson Todd

NEW: @fightforthefuture.org and a huge coalition of civil liberties, human rights, and disability justice groups have launched a campaign against mask bans at protests It includes an action-map where you can plug in with local efforts against these draconian laws. www.stopmaskbans.com

stopmaskbans.com

Stop Mask Bans

Take action to stop mask bans.

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(This doesn’t even get into the cruelty of barring Medicaid from covering GAC for trans folk, but again I will not rant into the void endlessly.)

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I don’t have much else to say (this is a lie but for another thread) other than: if you are a trans teen counting down the days to 18 and are afraid you won’t make it. It’s beautiful here. There are so many of us cheering for you. You will get here, and I’m so proud of you. Keep going. (5/)

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When talking to family who were concerned about me being too young to make this decision, I used to ask them: how long was long enough to wait to live? If my life felt suspended in this period of waiting when would be long enough for others to allow me a chance to live my life? (4/)

I wasn’t even planning on college then. Now I’m pursuing a PhD. My world got so much bigger when I could imagine living in it. I hate to think about teens in Missouri who feel, as I once did, that things have to end one way or another. Gender-affirming care is life-saving care. (3/)

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At 17, I didn’t see a future for myself past 18. I didn’t know what that meant, but I knew things couldn’t continue as they were. Thankfully, I had supportive parents and started medically transitioning on the crest of the “transgender tipping point” (~2015)—when hope felt louder than fear. (2/)