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Will Beischel

Assistant Professor, Social Psychology

Research Interests

My research focuses on gender/sex and sexual diversity. I am interested in developing new ways of thinking about both majority (e.g., cisgender, heterosexual) and minority (e.g., LGBTQ+) experiences to build more complete psychological theories of social identities and support the flourishing of people of all genders and sexualities. My work is interdisciplinary, taking inspiration from queer theory and trans studies, and multi-method (e.g., surveys, interviews, focus groups). The three major branches of my research program are:

  • The positive aspects of gender and LGBTQ+ life. My work in this area has included qualitative explorations of gender euphoria and what I’ve termed “gender pleasure” as a way to describe any positive experiences of gender (including majority experiences). I am also interested in other forms of queer and trans joy, connection, and thriving and how these relate to intersecting social identities and experiences (e.g., race/ethnicity and racism), as well as what they can teach us about how gender operates more broadly.
  • Methodological innovations to expand understandings of gender and sexuality. This has included using sexual configurations theory (van Anders, 2015) and developing the “Gender/Sex 3x3” (Beischel et al., 2022) with my doctoral advisor Dr. Sari van Anders. I am excited by creative and alternative tools for making sense of the complexities of people’s identities, behaviors, and orientations (e.g., visual, artistic, community-based). I am also interested in biological processes related to gender and sexuality, including hormones and markers of stress.
  • How people’s identities are shaped developmentally by their social experiences. Here I’m interested in the social regulation of gender—how people come to learn what gender is and how they fit into the gender system of their culture. This includes gender-based victimization, minority stress, and gender-affirming experiences. I’m interested especially in adolescence as a time of great turmoil and growth for many in their journeys to understanding their own and others’ genders and sexualities.

 

I am always seeking to collaborate with students and other scholars who are passionate about taking the field of psychology in new directions, including work that is intersectional, social justice-oriented, and interdisciplinary.

Publications/Research Listings

Google Scholar

 

Beischel, W. J. (2025). 130 Genders and counting: On scientific fact and trans livability. Archives of Sexual Behavior. Advance online publication. [link]

Fine, R. D., Schudson, Z. C., Beischel, W. J., & Gelman, S. A. (2025). Development and validation of the gender/race acknowledgment and disregard scales (G/RADS). Sex Roles, 91(57), 1-19. [link]

Beischel, W.J., Lavigne, R.M., Martin-Storey, A., Lemelin, J.P., & Watson, R.J. (2025). Minority stress, resilience, and trouble falling asleep among gender and sexual minority adolescents. Journal of Adolescence. 97(6), 1581-1596. [link]

Schudson, Z. C., Beischel, W.J., van Anders, S. M. (2025). Reducing cisgender people’s prejudice toward gender/sex minorities with sexual configurations theory. Psychology of Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity. Advance online publication. [link]

Freshley, A., Beischel, W. J., Gormezano, A. M., *Mao, J., Shuchat, D., & van Anders, S. M. (2024). “Gender expectations can be stifling but gender expressions can be liberating”: Gender/sex/ual majority individuals’ accounts of gender pleasure. Psychology of Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity. Advance online publication. [link]

Beischel, W. J., Mao, J., Irwin, J. A., & van Anders, S. M. (2024). Gender pleasure and minoritized gender/sex/ual experiences. Psychology of Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity. Advance online publication. [link]

Ibrahim, A., Clarke, J., Beischel, W. J., & van Anders, S. M. (2024). Gender/sex markers, bio/logics, and US identity documents. Feminism & Psychology, 34(1), 132-150. [link]

Burns, J., Beischel, W. J., & van Anders, S. M. (2024). Hormone therapy and trans sexuality: A review. Psychology of Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity. 11(1), 17-30. [link]

van Anders, S. M., Schudson, Z. C., Beischel, W. J., & Chadwick, S. B. (2023). Feminist and queer science: Principles for research with gender, sex, and sexuality in psychology and beyond. Psychology of sexual orientation and gender diversity. 12(2), 181-200. [link]

Beischel, W. J., Schudson, Z. C., Hoskin, R. A., & van Anders, S. M. (2023). The Gender/Sex 3x3: Measuring and categorizing gender/sex beyond binaries. Psychology of Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity, 10(3), 355-372. [link]

Beischel, W. J., Gauvin, S. E. M., van Anders, S. M. (2022). “A little shiny gender breakthrough”: Community understandings of gender euphoria. International Journal of Transgender Health, 23(3), 274-294. [link]

  • Most highly cited article in its issue (as of 8/25/24)

Beischel, W. J., Schudson, Z. C., & van Anders, S. M. (2021). “This is mind expanding”: Participants’ reactions to an online survey using sexual configurations theory. Psychology of Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity, 8(1), 14-24. [link]

Beischel, W. J., Schudson, Z. C., & van Anders, S. M. (2021). Visualizing gender/sex diversity via sexual configurations theory. Psychology of Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity, 8(1), 1-13. [link]

Beischel, W. J., Schudson, Z. C., Hoskin, R. A., *Mao, J., *Zielinski, A., & van Anders, S. M. (2021). Translating knowledge of sexual configurations theory via instructional videos. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 50, 23-43. [link]