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Shifting Presentation: How Nonbinary College Students Respond To Deadnaming And Misgendering, Charlotte Arechederra

PANDION: The Osprey Journal of Research and Ideas

As society becomes more open and welcoming to those of gender identities beyond the binary, it becomes increasingly important to understand their gender identity and presentation. Part of understanding these concepts means understanding how gender identities can exist relationally. Using in-depth interviews, this study explores how nonbinary college students respond to misgendering or deadnaming. These responses involve reflected appraisals, which social psychologists find can impact one’s sense of self and cause alterations in their self-presentation. These data show that nonbinary college students navigate being deadnamed or misgendered through their gender presentation in two primary manners: one, by adjusting presentation to …