Best of Core Forum: Understanding and Fighting Anti-Trans Misinformation

Description: As the transgender population increases in size and visibility, a resulting backlash has gripped America--and libraries are in the crossfire. Misinformation campaigns targeting transgender people are being leveraged as part of a concerted effort to censor books, displays, and programs; reduce free access for patrons of all ages; harass or threaten library and information science (LIS) workers; and interfere with or even shut down the operations of libraries across the country. Thus, LIS workers have a major stake in understanding and combatting anti-trans misinformation when they encounter it; but, due to these campaigns' widespread nature, it can be difficult for the average person to discern between what is fact, what's fiction, and what's opinion. Learn how and why anti-trans misinformation is created and spread, how you can distinguish between reliable and unreliable information, and why LIS workers have a uniquely important part to play in speaking out against anti-trans misinformation.

This webinar was previously presented in-person as a session at the 2024 Core Forum. We are hosting this webinar, with the session adapted and presented live as a virtual event, to extend its reach.

Learning Outcomes:

By the end of the webinar, attendees will be able to:

• Define the concepts of cultural narratives and frameworks, and explain how misinformation campaigns leverage them to spread misinformation more effectively;
• Distinguish between reliable and unreliable sources of information about transgender people, lives, and experiences; and
• Take action to call out and speak up against anti-trans misinformation where it intersects with the professional LIS values of access, literacy, inclusivity, and equity.

Who Should Attend: Library Managers and Leadership Team Members.

Presenter:

Heath Umbreit (they/them), MLIS, is the Adult Services Librarian at Morrill Memorial Library in Massachusetts. At Drexel University, they earned their Master’s in Library & Information Sciences, conferred in 2014. Their career as a librarian spans fourteen years, with time spent in both academic and public libraries. Mis- and disinformation has been a professional and personal interest of theirs for several years; their study of misinformation focuses on a critical examination of popular narratives about disinformation, the concept of epistemic supremacy, and the ways in which information and disinformation intersect with systemic power differentials in American society. Currently, they serve as a committee member for the 2024-26 cycle of the Peggy Barber Tribute Grant, and as an advisor for ALA's Libraries Transforming Communities: Libraries as Leaders in Bridging Divides. As a nonbinary trans person, Heath intentionally brings a unique perspective to the field of professional librarianship and centers the values of equity, access, and social justice in their work. Find them at: www.heathumbreit.com.