Groundbreaking Study Finds Pervasive Discrimination Against Transgender Americans

The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force and the National Center for Transgender Equality (NCTE) today released a comprehensive new report, "Injustice at Every Turn," revealing the depth of discrimination against transgender and gender non-conforming people in a wide range of areas, including education, health care, employment, and housing. The study, based on the results from the National Transgender Discrimination Survey (NTDS), was based on responses from over 6,450 participants. The NTDS is the first large-scale national study of discrimination against transgender and gender non-conforming Americans, and paints a more complete picture than any prior research to date.

Among the key findings from "Injustice at Every Turn":

• Respondents were nearly four times more likely to live inextreme poverty, with household income of less than $10,000.
• Respondents were twice as likely to be unemployedcompared to the population as a whole. Half of those surveyed reported experiencing harassment or other mistreatment in the workplace, and one in four were fired because of their gender identity or expression.
• While discrimination was pervasive for the entire sample, it was particularly pronounced for people of color.African-American transgender respondents fared far worse than all others in many areas studied.
• Housing discrimination was also common. 19% reported being refused a home or apartment and 11% reported being evicted because of their gender identity or expression. One in five respondents experienced homelessness because of their gender identity or expression.
• An astonishing 41% of respondents reported attempting suicide, compared to only 1.6% of the general population.
• Discrimination in health care and poor health outcomes were frequently experienced by respondents. 19% reported being refused care due to bias against transgender or gender-nonconforming people, with this figure even higher for respondents of color. Respondents also had over four times the national average of HIV infection.
• Harassment by law enforcement was reported by 22% of respondents and nearly half were uncomfortable seeking police assistance.
• Despite the hardships they often face, transgender and gender non-conforming persons persevere. Over 78% reported feeling more comfortable at work and their performance improving after transitioning, despite the same levels of harassment in the workplace.

Said Rea Carey, Executive Director of the Task Force: "By shedding light on the discrimination that transgender Americans face, this study poses a challenge to us all. No one should be out of a job, living in poverty, or faced with sub-par health care simply because of their gender identity or expression. The scope of the problem is clear, and now we must come together to solve it."

Said Mara Keisling, Executive Director of NCTE: "Reading these results is heartbreaking on a personal level-each of these facts and figures represents pain and hardship endured by real people, every single day. This survey is a call to the conscience of every American who believes that everyone has the right to a fair chance to work hard, to have a roof overhead, and to support a family. Equality, not discrimination, is the ideal that Americans believe in, have fought for, and need to apply here."

Read the full article and the report here.

New Report Finds Rampant Health Care Discrimination Against Transgender Individuals

Talk about the need for cultural competency, a new study out today finds that transgender and gender non-conforming people face rampant discrimination in health care settings, are regularly denied needed care, and experience a range of health risks because they are transgender or gender non-conforming, according to a report of over 6,450 transgender and gender non-conforming people. The National Transgender Discrimination Survey: Report on Health and Health Care was released nationally today by the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force and the National Center for Transgender Equality.

Key findings include:

* Nearly 1 in 5, 19%, reported being refused care outright, because they were transgender or gender non-conforming;

* Survey participants reported very high levels of postponing medical care when sick or injured due to discrimination and disrespect (28%);

* Harassment: 28% of respondents were subjected to harassment in medical settings;

* Significant lack of provider knowledge: 50% of the sample reported having to teach their medical providers about transgender care;

* Despite barriers, the majority have accessed some form of transition-related medical care; but only a minority has had any surgery, despite the fact that a strong majority stated wanting to have it someday;
* Respondents reported over four times the national average of HIV infection, 2.64% in our sample compared to 0.6% in the general population, with rates for transgender women at 3.76%, and with those who are unemployed (4.67%) or who have engaged in sex work (15.32%) even higher;

* Over a quarter of the respondents misused drugs or alcohol specifically to cope with the discrimination they faced due to their gender identity or expression;

* A staggering 41% of respondents reported attempting suicide compared to 1.6% of the general population.


Read the entire report here.

New Survey Finds Bullying Rampant Among Gender Non-Conforming Individuals

More than half of transgender and gender non-conforming people who were bullied, harassed or assaulted in school because of their gender identity have attempted suicide, according to just-released findings from the National Transgender Discrimination Survey, conducted by the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force and National Center for Transgender Equality.

"From our experience working with transgender people, we had prepared ourselves for high rates of suicide attempts, but we didn't expect anything like this," says Mara Keisling, executive director of the National Center for Transgender Equality. "Our study participants reported attempting suicide at a rate more than 25 times the national average." Forty-one percent of all respondents reported that they had attempted suicide, compared with a national estimated rate of 1.6 percent.

Read the rest at NCTE.