As marketing itself becomes more diverse — and as customers expect authentic, consistent diversity in their marketing — telling those narratives in a respectful and accurate manner becomes paramount. What do marketers need to keep in mind as they explore how to reach new audiences with these stories?

To learn more about how this issue impacts the trans and non-binary community in particular, AMA SF spoke with Niko Storment (he/they), founder of Rosen Creative House, a San Francisco-based, trans-owned marketing and event production agency. Storment shares his perspective on how narratives in media impact the trans community from multiple perspectives and offers insight to other marketers exploring proper ways to incorporate trans representation into their campaigns.

The relationship between representation and mental health

Storment, who has a psychology degree and has studied the intersection of representation and mental health, said that even basic acts of inclusion can be life-affirming for trans people who want reassurance that they are not alone in the world.

“There are so many ways to be a trans person,” Storment shared. “It’s really important to show trans people thriving and to normalize that in marketing. I believe in the power of media to make people feel seen and heard, and I believe in the psychological impact that people seeing themselves represented in media can have.”

Storment said that positive, uplifting narratives are not always the focus when it comes to the trans community. Citing Transgender Day of Remembrance, observed Nov. 20th every year, Storment expressed concern that many narratives told in the media focus on violence against trans people and not on trans and nonbinary people’s everyday lives. He urges marketers to think about the importance of visibility through this lens.

“As humans, we model what we see. If we only see [trans people] dying, how does a young trans person imagine themselves as they grow up, commit to a long-term career, and invest in their success?” Storment said. “If you have a Gap billboard and one person on it is trans, that can mean a lot to people, even subconsciously, because they’re seeing that they can grow up.”

There’s diversity within the community that Storment emphasizes is crucial for marketers to understand and embrace.

“The wealth of narratives is extremely important – trans isn’t just a white nonbinary person,” Storment said. “You need to see black trans women in media, nonbinary Latinx people, [and] two-spirit people to really give that wealth of human experience that’s actually accurate. There’s a discrepancy in how being trans actually is versus how it’s sold, and of course, there will always be that discrepancy. But we can make that gap shorter by spotlighting narratives of folks who are transgender.”

Trans visibility in a Gen Z-driven era

A rising number of Gen Z consumers prefer to spend their dollars with companies that support minorities, including the trans community. A GLAAD survey conducted in 2022 found that 34 percent of consumers across the board would rather shop with businesses that support queer people. Other data suggests these numbers are higher and rising among Gen Z, and particularly among Gen Z women, 45 percent of whom are more likely to buy from queer community-supporting businesses.

“Gen Z is so queer!” Storment said. “Your business will not last if you don’t adapt, and this is what adaptation looks like right now.”

A number of notable campaigns launched in 2023 that featured the queer or trans community, including InBev-owned Bud Light, Target, and the National Hockey League (NHL), were curtailed or withdrawn altogether after becoming the target of anti-LGBTQ+ groups. According to Storment, not taking a stand for the queer community by resisting calls to abandon these campaigns is simply bad for business.

“It’s your choice if you’re going to go with the stream or not,” Storment said. “This doesn’t have to be hard — we can do this together. However, there is a lot of friction among people who are fighting change or clinging to the old guard. Of course, change takes time, but actively fighting change makes it even harder.”

Citing Bud Light’s decision to discontinue its relationship with trans influencer Dylan Mulvaney—a decision that attracted significant media attention—Storment said it’s important to consider the long-term impact.

“A lot of business podcasts I listen to were talking about the Bud Light campaign as a grand failure… but I think when we zoom out and look at the future, people are going to say that a first attempt was made, and they backtracked,” Storment said. “If Bud Light stood in that truth [and stood by Dylan], it would have eventually paid off.”

Most importantly for Storment, he said the stakes are much higher when a visible campaign steps back.

“The elephant in the room is that backtracking enlivens people to be bigots, and all the while, half of trans and nonbinary youth attempt suicide,” Storment said. “Are you going to be a part of that? It sounds dramatic, but this is what’s at stake for the trans community.”

Trans visibility in and behind the creative

Storment advocates for trans and nonbinary folks being put in the driver’s seat, particularly when it comes to telling their own stories.

“Let us manage the campaign and be in charge of how we’re perceived,” Storment said. 

It’s not as simple as handing over the keys, though. Storment said that there are two major ways marketers can ensure authentic trans visibility in their campaigns, on the managerial side and on the campaign side. Both sides, according to Storment, require a degree of accommodation to ensure trans folks can authentically present their narratives.

“On the managing side, [trans people] are whole people who carry trauma and who have access needs,” Storment said. “Have patience that we will not always lock into the existing status quo. I’m not a cisgender man; I’m a trans man, so don’t expect me to act a certain way.”

Storment mentioned physical access needs, such as gender-neutral bathrooms and a culture that encourages pronoun use across the board, as ways to foster an environment where trans professionals can thrive.

“Take time to learn what the community needs — stay open, curious, and teachable,” Storment said. “There should be a dialogue. We are learning together how to exist together in this space, and that’s OK.”

When it comes to campaigns, Storment encourages hiring trans people to “write their own narratives” and bring their lived experiences to the creative process.

“There have been times that we’ve been hired to do a marketing campaign, and you can tell it wasn’t a trans-led narrative — it’s what was wanted from us through a cisgender lens,” Storment said. “Being a marketer, I respect that’s the name of the game. However, if we’re trying to change the discourse, we want to put the pen in the hands of trans people to write their own stories.”

Storment recognized that not every project will have trans representation — “Sometimes, the person managing a project isn’t trans, and that’s OK,” he said — but he emphasized the importance of creative direction that “puts the eye where it needs to be to create a holistic narrative.”

“A project lead needs to be someone who can hold multiple truths… [and] someone who is empathetic enough to see the narrative’s need instead of the ‘rinse and repeat’ narrative we are used to,” Storment said. “At the same time, if you just want to include trans people and the campaign isn’t a trans-specific narrative, that’s, of course, fine — as long as the person managing the product is aware [of the nuances of trans representation].”

Trans representation’s influence goes beyond inclusion

Data and market research paint a clear picture for marketers: authentic trans representation is welcome and expected, especially among the youngest demographics marketers try to reach. That could look like including trans models in a clothing campaign or uplifting trans voices in campaigns outside of Pride Month each year. However it shakes out, Storment emphasizes that trans visibility is way more than skin-deep, and its incorporation can be quite literally life-changing for the trans and queer people paying attention to the messaging.

“There are tons of benefits to supporting trans people marketing-wise and business-wise, but it does come back to a core issue of morality — we need to support trans youth and trans adults,” Storment said. “I’m concerned about trans youth, their self-esteem, and making sure they can make it to adulthood.”