Award Date

5-15-2025

Degree Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Department

Anthropology

First Committee Member

Jennifer Byrnes

Second Committee Member

Debra Martin

Third Committee Member

Gabriela Oré Menéndez

Fourth Committee Member

Lynn Comella

Number of Pages

289

Abstract

The bodies of transgender and gender-diverse (TGD) individuals represent a physical nexus of contempt and scrutiny. In the United States (U.S.), TGD people experience disproportionate levels of violence and premature death, contributing to a persistent epidemic of harm. Institutionalized anti-TGD biases have reinforced systemic neglect, leading to the routine exclusion of TGD individuals from research, data collection, and historical archives. The absence of state or federal initiatives to track mortality trends and risk factors among this population further exacerbates their systematic erasure. In particular, forensic scientists have traditionally relied on dichotomous indicators of sexual expression which may fail to account for biocultural (i.e., biological and environmental) factors influencing anatomical variation. Integrating critical social theories in medicolegal discourse can provide nuanced, inclusive approaches to understanding TGD mortality and skeletal presentation.This dissertation outlines three interdisciplinary studies examining TGD mortality trends and skeletal morphology. The first study used open-access data from the Transgender Day of Remembrance (TDOR) to analyze mortality patterns among TGD individuals in the U.S. (1970–2023). Data collection on demographics, manner and circumstances of death, medicolegal responses, occupation, housing status, and misgendering revealed significant data gaps, underscoring further victimization of TGD decedents. Despite these limitations, patterns of violence and premature death remained evident. The second is a case analysis of a 3D-printed replica of the left os coxa (pelvis) from a transgender woman treated with gender-affirming hormone therapy (GAHT). Forensic anthropologists with varying levels of experience assessed non-metric pelvic traits to estimate assigned sex at birth, revealing male favorability in the applied methodologies and participants’ decision-making processes. The importance of biocultural assessments in forensic anthropology were also discussed. The final paper is a pilot project for an inter-institutional analysis of biometric pelvic assessments from TGD groups using GAHT and untreated cisgender men and women. Researchers explored best practices for generating virtual 3D models of the pelvis and applying biometric measurements to virtual 3D models. Initial comparisons showed mixed relationships between transfeminine individuals and cisgender women, with all measurements exhibiting varying degrees of overlap between groups. Together, these studies emphasize the social vulnerability of TGD individuals, demonstrating how forensic disempowerment perpetuates inequities in medicolegal settings. Critical examination of TGD mortality and skeletal morphology trends underscore complex relationships between human biological and environmental pressures on the skeleton. The findings provide insight for improving post-mortem identification efforts for sex- and gender-diverse individuals, advocating for forensic praxis that routinely integrates social theory to foster inclusivity and equity in casework, training, and data collection.

Controlled Subject

Transgender people; Transphobia; Forensic sciences

Disciplines

Anthropology | Criminology and Criminal Justice | Feminist, Gender, and Sexuality Studies | Gender and Sexuality

File Format

PDF

File Size

25200 KB

Degree Grantor

University of Nevada, Las Vegas

Language

English

Rights

IN COPYRIGHT. For more information about this rights statement, please visit http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/

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Available for download on Friday, May 15, 2026


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