Microaggressions

Microaggressions are social exchanges in which a perpetrator explicitly or implicitly communicates a harmful, stereotypical, and dehumanizing message against a marginalized individual and/or community. Trans people experience verbal and nonverbal microaggressions on interpersonal, institutional, and systemic levels, and these experiences can result in gender minority stress that can negatively affect a trans person’s mental health and well-being. What follows is a description of the three types of microaggressions, specific examples of trans microaggressions, the potential impact of microaggressions, and a brief summary of microaggressions and trauma.