Transgender Discrimination

Trans women are women, trans men are men, and nonbinary identities are valid. I would never want to speak on behalf of the community but I do know that my dear transgender friends and colleagues are tired of this constant questioning of their identities, which all too often results in violence and abuse. They simply want to live their lives peacefully, and it’s time to let them do so - Eddie Redmayne

Transgender Discrimination
Transgender Discrimination

image by: Nikolas Gannon on Unsplash

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How historians are documenting the lives of transgender people

Despite the burgeoning transgender pride movement and unprecedented awareness of trans people in the U.S., the marginalization of trans and nonbinary people continues. In 2021 alone, the Human Rights Campaign estimates, 50 trans and nonbinary people were murdered. A whopping 82 percent of transgender people report having considered suicide, and 56 percent of trans youth surveyed in one 2022 study said they’d attempted it in the past. The National Center for Transgender Equality reports that more than one in four trans people has experienced a bias-driven assault; those rates are even higher rates for trans women and people of color. The push for equality and visibility extends into academia,…

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  Injustice at Every Turn

Transgender and gender non-conforming people face injustice at every turn: in childhood homes, in school systems that promise to shelter and educate, in harsh and exclusionary workplaces, at the grocery store, the hotel front desk, in doctors’ offices and emergency rooms, before judges and at the hands of landlords, police officers, health care workers and other service providers

 Transgender Discrimination in Healthcare

The issue of LGBTQ rights has long been a source of heated debate both nationally and abroad. While the United States has undoubtedly moved towards greater inclusivity with the expansion of certain legal protections for the LGBTQ community and with increasing societal acceptance of and engagement in LGBTQ-inclusive discourse, the LGBTQ community continues to suffer from discrimination in the workplace, in education, and in healthcare.

 Transgender people suffer discrimination in the job market

Some may take the statement in the title of this post as completely obvious. It was therefore quite surprising to us that no study had previously attempted a rigorous experimental test of whether transgender applicants face discrimination in the hiring process. Previous studies have instead tended to rely on self-report measures where transgender people report experiencing relatively high rates of discrimination throughout many facets of their everyday life. For example, in a recent EU-wide survey 37% of transgender people said that they have experienced discrimination when looking for work.

 ‘There are more trans bans than trans athletes’: what’s driving anti-LGBTQ+ hate in America?

Advocate Gillian Branstetter sees reasons for hope after four trans youth won a fight for healthcare in an Arkansas court.

Articles of Interest

A Complete Breakdown of the J.K. Rowling Transgender-Comments Controversy

Harry Potter series author J.K. Rowling came under fire in early June 2020 for controversial tweets she posted about the transgender community. Her stance has caused fans and stars of the wizarding world like Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint, and Eddie Redmayne to speak out against the author. Here’s everything you need to know...

Gay Rights and Trans Rights Are Indivisible. SCOTUS Just Showed Why

Since the start of the modern LGBT movement in the 1960s, some members of the community have questioned the degree of common interest between lesbian, gay, and bisexual people on the one hand and transgender people on the other. Notwithstanding similar experiences of discrimination and a shared history of activism, members of both communities have sometimes viewed one another with mutual suspicion. LGB people, protective of hard-won legal, political, and societal victories, have worried that association with an even more unfamiliar and stigmatized minority group would imperil those advances. Trans people, weary of advocates prioritizing gay rights over trans rights, have worried that LGB people might achieve greater equality and then abandon the field without extending a hand to transgender people.

Guest Blog: “Being Trans is Brilliant”

We would never shame anyone with a visible difference for seeking assistance. Why do we treat trans kids like it’s all in their heads?

Many Transgender Americans Face Stigma and Financial Hardship, Survey Finds

Transgender and nonbinary Americans experience stark rates of unemployment and harassment, according to the largest survey of their life experiences to date. The data reflect a longstanding pattern of discrimination at a time when states across the country have passed laws restricting their health care, bathroom access and participation in sports.

Multiple Cases of Trans Discrimination Motivate Passionate Campaign for Gender Equality in the Philippines

In one case, a trans woman was handcuffed and brought to a police station after trying to enter a women's restroom.

The Battle Over Gender Therapy

More teenagers than ever are seeking transitions, but the medical community that treats them is deeply divided about why — and what to do to help them.

The impact of discrimination on the mental health of trans*female youth and the protective effect of parental support

High prevalence and significant disparities in mental health exist for transgender youth assigned a male sex at birth who identify as a different gender (trans*female youth). Studies assert that prejudice towards transwomen occurs because they are perceived to transgress societal gender norms.

The Pervasiveness Of Transgender Health Care Discrimination

A new report from the Center for American Progress finds that nearly half of transgender people have experienced mistreatment at the hands of a medical provider.

Transgender America Fights Back

From sanctuary states to the courts, lawyers and political allies resist Republican bans on transgender care for minors.

Transgender people of color face unique challenges as gender discrimination and racism intersect

Throughout history, transgender people of color have had a place of honor in many indigenous cultures around the world. For trans people who refused or were unable to conform, colonial societies often used racism and cissexism, or behaviors and beliefs that assume the inferiority of trans people, to invalidate their existence, limit their access to resources and threaten their well-being. For example, colonizers in some cases deemed people who expressed their gender outside the binary as sinful and deviant, and punished them with emotional and physical violence. The reverberations of these colonial beliefs are still felt today. In just the first three months of 2022, there were over 154 anti-trans state bills proposed across the U.S. seeking to limit the rights of trans kids and their parents.

Why trans people in rural America struggle to find healthcare

Even well intentioned local doctors may still be uneducated.

Yes, words can harm young trans people. Here’s what we can do to help

Apart from fostering stigma and discrimination, public debate about trans people can also negatively impact their health. Physical activity in adolescence is important for long-term health. Trans young people already experience multiple barriers to participating in sport and physical activity. Public commentary questioning involvement of trans people in sport acts as a further obstacle.

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