Have you experienced discrimination?
Early this February, the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force and the National Center for Transgender Equality, will release a new, comprehensive study that creates the first-ever complete picture of discrimination against transgender and gender-nonconforming Americans. The study, documenting the findings of the National Transgender Discrimination Survey (NTDS), is based on the responses of 6,450 participants, who were asked about the discrimination they experienced in a wide range of categories, including education, employment, health care, housing, and receiving proper ID that reflected the participant’s gender identity.
The NTDS results are clear: Society has a long, long way to go before transgender and gender-nonconforming people receive equality. In every category, respondents reported that discrimination is still widespread. Ninety percent reported being harassed at work, and respondents were twice as likely to be unemployed. Respondents were far more likely to have attempted suicide, or be HIV-positive than the national average. And poverty is far more common as well. Transgender people of color are hardest hit by these inequalities.
This report is more than a picture of where we stand. By casting a light on the many injustices that transgender and gender-nonconforming Americans endure, the NTDS calls us all to action. We need to send a message loud and clear that we will not be victims of discrimination, and that we will fight back against it in every sector of society. But facts and figures aren’t enough to do that. We need to put a human face on this discrimination, and we need your stories.
If you have experienced discrimination because of your gender identity or expression – whether in school, your workplace, in a hospital, in dealing with law enforcement, or anywhere else, and you are willing to go on the record with media about your experience, please consider telling us. We are looking for a diverse range of people who can do so, including Spanish speakers and people of color, but whatever your story, please share it. We will let you know if we are able to use your story to illustrate the human side of these facts and figures.
Please, send in your experiences. This is absolutely essential if we are to spread the word about the discrimination that we face.
Send your stories to:
Cathy Renna
Renna Communications
cathy@rennacommunications.com
917-757-6123
Justin Tanis, Communications
National Center for Transgender Equality
jtanis@transequality.org
202-903-0112
