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Today, & so many other days, are for you
A day to remember those whose lives have been taken. A reminder to see transgender people, to amplify their voices, & to fight for their rights to live like everyone else. We have so much work to do. Let's do it. https://transequality.org/
A day to remember those whose lives have been taken. A reminder to see transgender people, to amplify their voices, & to fight for their rights to live like everyone else. We have so much work to do. Let's do it. https://transequality.org/
Transgender people make up ~0.6% of the adult US population (1.4 million), relatively consistently across age groups:
0.70% percent of teens aged 13 to 17;
0.66% of 18-24 years of age;
0.58% 25-64 years of age;
0.50% of people 65 years of age and older.
0.70% percent of teens aged 13 to 17;
0.66% of 18-24 years of age;
0.58% 25-64 years of age;
0.50% of people 65 years of age and older.
Transgender people face pervasive mistreatment and violence.
In a recent study of 28,000 transgender people in the US, 54% of K–12 transgender children/youth were verbally harassed because they were transgender; 24% were physically attacked; 13% were sexually assaulted; 17% experienced such severe mistreatment that they left a school.
10% of those who were out to their immediate family experiencd violence from a family member b/c they were transgender; 8% were kicked out of the house. 30% reported being fired, denied promotion, or experiencing other mistreatment at work due to their gender identity/expression
In the year prior to the survey, 46% were verbally harassed and 9% were physically attacked because of being transgender. In that same period, 10% were sexually assaulted, and nearly half (47%) were sexually assaulted at some point in their lifetime.
**The majority of transgender people murdered are Black women.**
Transgender people face severe economic hardship and instability.
Nearly 1/3 (29%) of respondents were living in poverty, compared to 12% in the U.S. population. A major contributor to the high rate of poverty is likely respondents’ 15% unemployment rate—3x higher than the unemployment rate in the U.S. population at the time of the survey (5%)
Respondents were also far less likely to own a home, with only 16% of respondents reporting homeownership, compared to 63% of the U.S. population.
Even more concerning, nearly one-third (30%) of respondents have experienced homelessness at some point in their lifetime, and 12% reported experiencing homelessness in the year prior to completing the survey because they were transgender.
A staggering 39% of respondents experienced serious psychological distress in the month prior to completing the survey, compared with only 5% of the U.S. population.
Among the starkest findings is that 40% of respondents have attempted suicide in their lifetime—nearly nine times the attempted suicide rate in the U.S. population (4.6%).
Respondents also encountered high levels of mistreatment when seeking health care.
In the year prior to completing the survey, 33% of those who saw a health care provider had at least one negative experience related to being transgender, such as being verbally harassed or refused treatment because of their gender identity.
& 23% of respondents reported that they did not seek the health care they needed in the year prior to completing the survey due to fear of being mistreated as a transgender person, & 33% did not go to a health care provider when needed b/c they couldn't afford it.
References: https://transequality.org/sites/default/files/docs/usts/USTS-Executive-Summary-Dec17.pdf
https://williamsinstitute.law.ucla.edu/wp-content/uploads/Trans-Adults-US-Aug-2016.pdf https://ajph.aphapublications.org/doi/10.2105/AJPH.2016.303571
https://williamsinstitute.law.ucla.edu/wp-content/uploads/Trans-Adults-US-Aug-2016.pdf https://ajph.aphapublications.org/doi/10.2105/AJPH.2016.303571
The National Center for Transgender Equality is committed (as am I) to changing laws, policies, resources, and society to improve trans people’s lives. https://transequality.org/
