Gender typicality (GT) describes the self-perception of corresponding to a typical example of one's gender category across a range of interests, behaviors, activity levels, gestures, and ways of interacting with other people. GT is a social construct, the characteristics and meanings of which differ across contexts and cultures. Overall, literature on homophobic bullying clearly demonstrates that victimization is associated with low GT and with feminine traits for males and masculine traits for girls, regardless of sexual orientation. These studies suggest that perceiving oneself as being a typical member of the same gender group is a protective factor for victimization.
However, relatively few researchers have examined: (1) GT during young adulthood; (2) GT in sexual minorities; (3) how own-gender typicality and other-gender typicality are linked to teachers¿ and peers¿ victimization in sexual minorities. Thus, the main purpose is to investigate the recalled teachers' and peers' victimization in a sample of heterosexual and sexual minority young adults. In particular, our research project has three main goals:
(1) provide descriptive qualitative and quantitative data on the self-perception of GT and the past experiences of victimization, based on the GT of the participants;
(2) test the moderating and mediating roles of participants' age, gender, sexual orientation, religiosity, and socioeconomic status on the relationship between GT and past episodes of victimization;
(3) contribute to the validation of a measure of GT in a sample of Italian young adults.
We will adopt several research methodologies, including qualitative and quantitative-based research. An ad-hoc online surveys will use to collect data regarding the key variables. Moreover, we will conduct standardized interviews to extend the existing scientific literature concerning the relation between self-perception of GT and past episodes of victimization in heterosexual and sexual minority participants.
This research project will contribute to the extension of knowledge about the role and impact of GT among heterosexual and LGB young adults. The study will be conducted in Italy, a country where traditional gender norms and homophobic attitudes are still rife (Pistella et al., 2016, 2020). In such context, gender atypical youth have a greater risk of being victimized and encountering significant difficulties in school context (Martin et al., 2017; Menon, 2011; Zosuls et al., 2016). In the last years, scholars suggested that the negative psychological outcomes associated with gender atypicality could be the result of these victimization experiences during adolescence and emerging adulthood (Jewell & Brown, 2014; Smith & Leaper, 2005). In other terms, negative psychological outcomes may not be due to being atypical, but rather due to being victimized and rejected because of being gender atypical. However, this association was not investigated in heterosexual people as well as in LGB people, especially in Italian context.
Again, research on GT and victimization by teachers and peers is currently limited. However, the interest in this relation is growing. More research is required to understand which processes and factors explain the link between self-perceived gender atypicality and teachers' and peers' victimization in order to develop targeted prevention and treatment services. The findings of this project could have important implications for researchers and mental health professionals who might work with gender atypical youth, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity. An innovative aspect of the present research project is a better understanding of the role that an atypical gender expression may have on the well-being of all youth, using both quantitative and qualitative approaches (interviews with heterosexual and LGB participants).
In addition, it should be noted that previous research on the GT has focused almost exclusively on children and heterosexual adolescents, whereas, to our knowledge, no previous studies have investigated the relation between GT and past episodes of victimization (based on GT) in LGB people (Jewell & Brown, 2014; Pauletti et al., 2017): This is a relevant theme that is often ignored despite its significant role for the well-being of sexual minorities (Perry et al., 2019). However, no instruments exist that evaluate experiences of victimization based on the GT of the participants (to own and other gender). For these reasons, we will analyze the past experiences of victimization during adolescence by teachers and peer group, based on the GT of the participants (to own and other gender), and we will contribute to the Italian factorial validity and invariance assessment of an adapt short version of the Recalled Childhood Bullying Victimization (Palladino et al., 2016), using a sample of heterosexual and LGB young adults.
Moreover, in line with recent research (Sausa, 2005), attention is needed that schools implement policies and programs to prevent victimization due to gender atypicality, adopting and implementing enumerated anti-victimization policies to prevent discrimination based on gender nonconformity status. It could be useful to develop programs that would reduce negative attitudes towards gender atypicality and traditional gender norms (e.g., through counseling, training, and public service announcements), or promote various events in support of gender nonconforming youth, as well as to run a series of sensitization campaigns and educational programs in Italian school contexts. Specifically, anti-victimization policies are needed to further promote a safe school environment. This is, having supportive teachers can have a positive effect on the educational experiences of all students. Providing education about gender expression issue to students and teachers is another key strategy for increasing safety. School contexts should provide the opportunity for a support or social group for gender nonconforming, such as a Gay-Straight Alliance (Goodenow et al., 2006; Russell & Fish, 2016). The practical implications of the present research project will regard not only the well-being of people who deviate from the traditional roles imposed by society (i.e. gender atypical youth) but also the well-being of youth who identify as a sexual minority, in addition to those who self-identified as heterosexual yet are perceived as LGB.