A new report from the National Center for Transgender Equality (NCTE) and the TransLatin@ Coalition sheds light on the hardships faced by Latinx members of America's transgender community, People reports.
The full report, which can be viewed here, shows that transphobia affects people of all races — which will surely come as a surprise to no one. But paired with the discrimination already faced by the Latinx community as a whole, Latinx transgender people are worse off than their white peers.
As an example of the fact that racism abounds, NPR reported last week that 1 in 3 members of the Latinx community say they've faced discrimination based on their ethnicity when it comes to securing jobs and housing. Furthermore, 37% of participants said they'd been on the receiving end of ethnic slurs at least once.
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According to the new report, 21% of Latinx transgender participants are unemployed — a significantly higher number than 12% of transgender whites. A staggering 43% of Latinx transgender participants are living in poverty. They also reported higher rates of sexual assault and mistreatment by law enforcement than white transgender participants. White transgender people face these struggles at higher rates than cisgender white individuals, but this study is important because it shows what happens when transphobia and racial discrimination intersect.
"The full report of the U.S. Transgender Survey showed us some incredibly important data that supplemented information we already had about the experiences of transgender people in the United States. Using this information, advocates have already been able to push for policies that are better for transgender people," NCTE Executive Director Mara Keisling wrote in a statement published on the organization's website. "Now, this new report will allow advocates to do similar work that is targeted specifically at improving the lives of Latino/a transgender people."
An incredibly depressing aspect of this study is that the results are not surprising — and we should be troubled by that in itself. We've become accustomed to a society that discriminates against transgender people and people of color, and we have to remember to never become complacent and simply accept that it will always be like this. Our fellow Americans deserve better and we should never simply shrug our shoulders and say "well, that's just the way it is." It's the reality right now, but it doesn't have to be.