Discrimination Toward Transgender and Non-Binary People: The Moderating Roles of Political Conservatism and Religiosity in Hiring Decisions

Abstract Transgender and non-binary (TNB) people experience high rates of discrimination and are at greater risk of poor mental health compared to the general population. However, lacking is experimental evidence pertaining to factors that predict discrimination against TNB people, and the mechanisms underlying these effects. Across two experimental employment evaluation studies ( N = 940), we tested whether TNB job applicants would be rated more negatively than cisgender applicants, and whether these effects were mediated by anticipated liking. We also tested both political conservatism and religiosity as potential moderators. In Study 1 ( N = 375, M age = 37.55 years), those who were more politically conservative viewed applicants as less competent and were less likely to recommend hiring the person when the applicant was TNB rather than cisgender. In Study 2 ( N = 565, M age = 38.84 years), political conservatism (but not religiosity) again moderated the effects of applicant gender status on ratings of competence and hiring recommendation. In both studies, these effects were mediated by low anticipated liking. Results suggest that, compared with cisgender job applicants, conservatives view TNB applicants as less competent and less worthy of hiring because they like TNB people less than their cisgender counterparts. Further research is needed to investigate factors that might reduce prejudice against TNB people, particularly among those who are more politically conservative.