Patterns of Transgender Policy Change within the Advocacy Coalition Framework

• In Event: Policy Advocacy and Advocacy Coalitions Framework

Abstract

Examining the evolving landscape of transgender policies in the United States, this study employs the Advocacy Coalition Framework to investigate the underlying patterns and rationales driving policy changes over time. Through coding proposed and passed sub-corpus of legislation on transgender issues, I distinguish types of change (policy core or secondary change) and scales of change (major or minor change). I then analyze these policies and combine the types and scales on a continuum between major policy core change, minor policy core change, major secondary change, and minor secondary change.

To shed light on the rationales of policy change, I delve into the emotional and cognitive justifications attributed by policy actors to the necessity of enacting or proposing these policies. Subsequently, we test two hypotheses pertaining to patterns and explanations of policy change drawing from these explanations and the sub-corpus of legislation governing transgender policies in Colorado and Missouri from 2018 to 2024. By comparing our findings with prior applications of major and minor policy change within different policy making environments and within marginalized and non-marginalized community coalitions, we aim to gain deeper insights into the mechanisms underpinning policy change in this critical domain.

Author

• Allegra Fullerton, University of Colorado Denver