Huge survey paints a picture of transgender life in America
The largest survey of transgender people in the US has returned its results, and it shows a shocking picture of trans life in America.
The survey conducted by the National Center for Transgender Equality, asked 27,715 trans and non-binary people about their life in the US.
Economic disadvantages were shown by the survey, as well as extra vulnerability to hate crimes, and mental health risks.
Out of the more than 27k respondents, 46 percent said they had been the target of verbal harassment in the previous year.
9 percent said they had been physically assaulted in the last year.
For those who came out as trans or non-binary as students, the results were even worse. 13 percent of the trans and non-binary students said they had survived sexual assault.
Out of the student group, 24 percent said they had been subjected to physical assaults.
30 percent of respondents said they had been homeless, and only 16 percent said they owned their own home.
This compares to 63 percent of the overall population who own their own homes.
The results also showed that double the percentage of trans or non-binary people were in poverty compared to the general population.
More than half, 59 percent of trans respondents said they had been scared to use a bathroom because of their gender identity.
And 40 percent of trans and non-binary people said they had attempted suicide. This is massive compared to 5 percent of the general population of America.
“Discrimination and violence threaten transgender people’s ability to have even the basics: food, a place to sleep, or a job,” Mara Keisling, the executive director of the National Center for Transgender Equality, told the Associated Press.
“This survey demonstrates that there is a lot of work ahead to achieve simple parity and full equality for transgender people.”
If you have been affected by issues in this article, and live in the UK, call the Samaritans on 116 123. If you are a young person in the US in crisis, feeling suicidal, or in need of a safe and judgment-free place to talk, call the Trevor Lifeline now at 866-488-7386. If you are an adult in need of support in the US, please call the National Suicide Prevention Helpline on 1-800-273-8255.
