Date of Award

May 2024

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Department

Psychology

First Advisor

Alison E. Kelly

Abstract

The trans panic defense is a provocation defense that uses the victim’s transgender identity as justification for the defendant’s violent actions. Previous research has identified juror characteristics that predict support for the gay panic defense (Michalski & Nunez, 2022) and trans panic defense (Michalski et al., 2022), but less is known about whether case type impacts support for the trans panic defense. This study sought to fill this gap by manipulating case type and further exploring juror characteristics that predict greater support of the trans panic defense. This study utilized 188 participants that read crime vignettes featuring transgender or cisgender female victims of either homicide or assault. Following the vignettes, participants rendered a verdict and completed measures associated with perceptions of the defendant and victim, precarious manhood beliefs, political orientation, and attitudes towards transgender individuals. Overall, more lenient verdicts were rendered in the trans panic condition than the control condition. More lenient verdicts were found in the homicide cases than the assault cases, but only within the trans panic condition. Anti-transgender prejudice was the only predictor that led to more lenient verdict decisions. These findings can aid in jury selection of cases involving the trans panic defense and transgender individuals.

Download

Share

COinS