Is Gender Transition a Social Contagion?
You’re in a conversation and someone says, “Kids identify as transgender because it’s who they really are, not because it’s a ‘social contagion’.” What would you say?
A “social contagion” is defined as “the spread of behaviors, attitudes, and affect through crowds and other types of social aggregates from one member to another” and “[a]dolescents are prone to social contagion because they may be especially susceptible to peer influence and social media.”
Is it possible that the surge in gender confusion and transition a result of a social contagion? Here are three things to consider.