The United States National Gay and Lesbian Task Force and the National Center for Transgender Equality have released a joint report that explores the nature and extent of discrimination faced by transgender and gender non-conforming individuals in health, education, employment, housing and other areas. The report is based on data from the National Transgender Discrimination Survey, the first nation-wide American study of trans discrimination. The survey comprises data from over 6,450 respondents.
The report reveals striking health disparities. Forty-one percent of respondents reported attempting suicide, in contrast to 1.6 percent of the general population. Attempted suicide rates were even higher for individuals who lost a job due to discrimination (55 percent), experienced harassment or bullying at school (51 percent), were living in poverty, or experienced physical (61 percent) or sexual (61 percent) assault. The survey also shows that 19 percent of respondents reported being refused health care due to bias against trans individuals, with an even higher percentage for racialized respondents.
The latter finding was emphasized by the report’s authors who note that the intersection of transphobia and structural racism is particularly devastating for respondents. African American trans respondents fared worse than non-racialized respondents for many indicators studied.
See “Injustice at Every Turn: A Report of the National Transgender Discrimination Survey,” National Gay and Lesbian Task Force and the National Center for Transgender Equality, February 4, 2011, available atendtransdiscrimination.org.