The Largest Survey Of Trans & Non-Binary People In The U.S. Reveals Tragic Statistics

The results of the biggest survey of trans people in the U.S. have been published, and it paints a grim picture of what it's like to be transgender in America. 27,715 trans and non-binary people all across the country filled out the latest National Center for Transgender Equality survey, the Associated Press reports. The study reveals that as a whole, this part of our population is economically disadvantaged, vulnerable to hate crimes, and at risk for poor mental health. 46% of the respondents said they'd been targets of verbal harassment over the previous year, and 9% were physically assaulted. The results were even more devastating for those who were out as students: 13% were sexual assault survivors, and 24% had been subject to physical attacks. According to the Southern Poverty Law Center, harassment and attacks against disadvantaged Americans, including LGBTQ people, have gone up since the election. On top of that, 30% of the respondents had been homeless, and just 16% were homeowners (compared to 63% of the U.S. population). 29% were in poverty, compared to half as many in the general population. In addition, 59% of trans Americans said they'd been scared to use a bathroom, which is especially pertinent after North Carolina banned use of bathrooms in public buildings that don't match the gender on a person's birth certificate. But perhaps most tragically, 40% of the respondents had attempted suicide, compared to 5% of Americans as a whole. These results were similar to those from a survey taken between 2008 and 2009, despite increasing visibility of the trans community and gains for LGBT rights. "Discrimination and violence threaten transgender people's ability to have even the basics: food, a place to sleep, or a job," Mara Keisling, the organization's executive director, told the AP. "This survey demonstrates that there is a lot of work ahead to achieve simple parity and full equality for transgender people."

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