Until now, we haven't really known just how bad it is or how strong we are.
As we release the findings from the National Transgender Discrimination Survey, the levels of discrimination documented are shocking for two reasons -- first, they so clearly chronicle the incredible devastation that occurs in the lives of people who are discriminated against. But second, they also shows the incredible resiliency of people so marginalized, but so determined. I wonder if Americans still realize that this kind of prejudice continues to flourish in our country. And that yet another group of people stands strong in the face of it, waiting for recognition.
Transgender people are confronted at every turn with discrimination -- in school, at work, on the streets, in the doctor's office, in the line for public assistance, in the restroom, in the boardroom, and many more places. Even in their own homes. It is exhausting, it is frightening, and it is, for far too many people, almost continuous.
When we analyze the data in this survey, we can see very concretely the ways in which those who have experienced that discrimination fare far worse than those who have not. Those who are bullied and harassed in school, especially those whose teachers are the perpetrators of violence, have a much higher rate (76%) of attempting suicide. Those who lose their jobs because of bias are much more likely (70%) to misuse drugs or alcohol to help cope with their experiences. I could give example after example. It seems somehow grossly inappropriate that we even need to prove that discrimination is bad for people -- devastatingly bad -- but if we need to do so, surely the proof is here.
What this survey also tells us is that prejudice against people because of their race, their levels of income, their gender identity and their sexual orientation is still especially rampant, and that these prejudices often intersect with one another. Transgender people of color, especially African Americans, Native Americans, Latinos, and those of mixed racial identity, are subject to staggering rates of eviction (as high was 37%), job loss (as high as 36%), HIV infection rates (as high as 25%), harassment and denial of equal services. But no group in our sample has it easy.
We see that employers, landlords, doctors, government officials, and other important figures act out their personal prejudices or institutional biases in ways that damage the lives of other people, and they do so largely with impunity and perhaps even with a sense of their own righteousness. This threatens the freedom and well-being of all of us.
LGBT people should take particular note. The discrimination outlined here is based on gender identity and expression -- on the clothes people wear, their mannerisms, the degree to which they are perceived as fitting into a masculine or feminine stereotype -- and sexual orientation is often judged on those gendered boxes as well. Lesbians are fired for being too "mannish" and gay men -- particularly those who are more effeminate -- face violence because they aren't "real men." This survey just reminds us all that our enemy -- the firings, the violence, the harassment -- has not been vanquished for any of us, despite the gains we've made in many areas.
But here's what matters most to me personally in this data -- the ways in which transgender people keep going in the midst of all of it. Almost a quarter of the people in our survey had experienced three or more major acts of discrimination, things that would reasonably knock any of us down and impact our lives, like getting fired because of who they are, being denied custody and contact with their children, or becoming homeless. But transgender people keep going; they look for work, they look for a place to live, they go back to school to better their chances at another job, they find love, they reconcile with their children. I am awed by the resiliency of transgender people that we see here.
This survey is at its core the story of 6,450 individual people in our survey sample doing the best they can in the face of often unrelenting prejudice from others. Those individual people, those human beings, are striving to be true to themselves and build a life for themselves and for their families. Their honesty and strength should be rewarded by our very best efforts to change the story so that, every time we ask these questions in years to come, the devastation of discrimination will yield further, as a new story rises to take its place -- a story of freedom, of honesty, of love, and of the right to simply be who you are.
What's stopping you?
I'll add that Zoe Brain has for several years been doing heavy lifting trying to counter misinformation with factual, researched and vetted information. But, as she herself says, "it's like trying to move a mountain one teaspoonful at a time."
I'm a late-transitioning transwoman. I've had the sexual reassignment surgery. I welcome 'weekend warrior' crossdressers under the transgender umbrella. I also welcome allies who are gay or lesbian or bisexual or heterosexual, and who are trans-gendered, bi-gendered, gender queer or questioning, agendered or cisgendered. As Ben Franklin said, "We must all hang together, or we will surely hang separately."
The same sort of discrimination happens to crack smokers and pot smokers - and a great many more people for a great many other reasons. So long as people refuse to accept the rights of others then the foolish nonsense shall continue.
I've heard that 'rights' melarky. Many times. I have 'no right' to proclaim my experience, while some say they have 'every right' to call me confused, depraved, perverted, sick, that my identity is forever male because I was born with male genitalia, and on and on. 'Every right'.
Let's not talk about rights. Let's talk about how illogical it is to compare transgenders with people who smoke crack or pot -- and those 'other people' for 'other reasons' (why can't'cha just call the transgenders child-recruiters and be done with it?) It's comparing oranges to applied physics - there's no logical connection, except your feelings of disgust.
Those in the transsexual community have instinctively known of the prejudice and discrimination highlighted by the study. With this report, and hopefully the others that will follow building upon it, perhaps gains will be made toward achieving the equality of rights that others have.
Sadly, though, as long as the "trans-community" continues to be aligned in a manner that creates the political reality of being used as an object to be traded for LGB rights, that will continue to be the fate of this community.
Considering the fact that the "trans-community" is small and the majority of courts that should protect such minorities are weak and/or unwilling to do so, when such causes are brought before them, the courage shown by those that transition, even in light of overwhelming odds against success, can not be ignored.
With the report we have placed another brink in the wall!
http://stoptranssexualhate.blogspot.com/2011/02/trans-civil-war.html
Transgender is an umbrella term that is currently defined as
Transsexuals
Cross Dressers
Other Gender Variants
FtM means Male to Female Transsexual
MtF means Female to Male Transsexual
For the most part this report seems to be targeted at transsexuals instead of cross dressers or other gender variants.
Hope that helps. Any other questions I can help you with?
Despite their vast collection of contributors, HuffPo had not seen fit to invite a transgender person to write on politics (as far I've ever seen) until this very post. The only regular transgender contributor to the site has been Joanne Hermann, who is a great writer, but focuses on cultural and social issues. That's great, and needed, but it's not a substitute for a much-needed focus on transgender civil rights and politics. It's just not enough...not by a longshot.
MSNBC was all over Don't Ask, Don't Tell last year, but did you ever see them cover the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, which would protect a vastly larger group of LGBT Americans from discrimination in the workplace, even once?
If you watch Rachel Maddow, you may have seen her cover the passage of the federal hate crimes bill, tell her viewers it covered sexual orientation and gender identity, but never define gender identity for her viewers or inform them that it meant that transgender people are protected as well. In other words, total and complete erasure of transgender people from a story that was directly relevant to our lives.
On another show, Rachel had to be reminded on-air by Melissa Harris-Perry (then Lacewell) to include transpeople in a relevant story.
Honestly, I just think we deserve better.
Until Transsexuals can break away from the oppressive transgender label we are going to have a really hard time having basic civil rights. Anything that has 'transgender' attached to it is a hot potato that nobody wants to touch. No offense to Mara but let us look at this. On the National Center for Transgender Equality about us section. Let us replace transgender with cross-dresser.
Numerous studies have shown that CROSSDRESSING people face disproportionate amounts of discrimination in all areas of life, especially in employment and health care. As the American economy worsens, the discrimination faced by CROSSDRESSING people is becoming even more acute. Often forced into already unstable jobs and careers, and often facing compounding bias because of race or age, the economic well-being of CROSSDRESSING people is being challenged today like never before. The federal government has a responsibility to protect people from discrimination. Congress and the Administration can improve CROSSDRESSER'S lives in a significant way by advancing the anti-discrimination protections outlined here.
The above now makes no sense.
What I think might make sense is to shorten the label to simply "trans" and use it as a way to define those who live our lives full-time in our gender of choice as opposed to those who crossdress part-time. A transgender person then could be anyone who crosses gender lines, whether temporarily or permanently, while a transperson (or transwoman or transman) would be the descriptor for those of us who live full-time and need the civil rights protections ENDA or other similar legislation would bring.
It's actually pretty easy to identify transpeople because those who do not and/or do not wish to live full-time will not be seeking identification or other legal stature that would permanently identify them as other than the gender they normally live and work in.
GLBT is only big as is necessary to make a point. The same sex marriage debates deal only with "gays and lesbians" because they is all that matters in such a discussion. The "BT" is just extra baggage that people do not want to deal with.
And even within subgroups it works the same. Anything to make the numbers bigger when needed is thrown in, but only when needed. It is all about who is really important: "us" (objective pronoun describing the group, not necessarily me and some people).
I oppose that sort of legislation. Discrimination is another word for the freedom to associate or not to associate with others. I would favor requiring companies that discriminate on race, gender, orientation, transgender status, height, weight, etc to post their rules so that other people may boycott or support them as they wish.
Your ideas where thrown out in the 1960s. Why? Because it leads to a tacit conspiracy to deny a group of people their civil rights.
Or do you just have trouble with civil rights protection based on sexual orientation and gender identity?