Author | Meg Ten Eyck
Featured image: Laverne Cox and Jay Kelly
According to US Department of Defense data, a soldier’s chance of dying in Iraq is 1 in 255 people per year. According to the Human Rights Campaign your chances of being murdered as a Trans* person are 1 in 12. Let that sink in for a minute. One in twelve. That means, Trans* people are 21 times more likely to be murdered while walking down the streets of America than a solider in the Iraqi combat zone. This is appalling on so many levels.
Despite the jarring statistics, this year Trans* people have experienced more positive media exposure than ever before. Laverne Cox was nominated for an Emmy. The Transgender Law Center won a highly publicized case of discrimination against an elementary student. And just this week, OkCupid announced they are following Facebook and expanding their options for gender and sexuality on their site. With stories of Trans* issues hitting the mainstream media regularly, it’s easy to forget the lived struggles that Trans* people face daily. Violence & discrimination against Trans* people won’t go away on its own. We as a community have the moral responsibility to do everything that we can to raise up and support our Trans* siblings.
The best way to do that is through empathy, compassion and education. These three things are important for all people, but especially for groups who face multiple levels of discrimination. Many experience family rejection or employment discrimination and there is intense pressure to “pass” as male or female. Not to mention, the very real fear of violence is a constant threat. As a cis-gender person, you can help support by learning how to be a good ally and educating yourself and your community. Statistics below.
51% of Trans* people report being fired from a job because they are transgender.
Trans* people can legally be fired from their jobs in 31 states because there is no discrimination protection for gender identity.
The employment discrimination against Trans* people is so strong that according to The Task Force, Trans* Americans are 4 times more likely to be earning less than $10,000 per year.
16% of Trans* women have been incarcerated.
The high rate of incarceration is because of the disproportionate poverty, homelessness, work place discrimination and law enforcement bias.
69% of Trans* people have been homeless at some point in their lives.
Despite the higher rates of homelessness, many Trans* people report being denied entry into homeless shelters. Several shelters have even been sued for denying services, but are protected from legal action because they are religiously affiliated organizations. The same religious exemption is used to discriminate against Trans* university students.
16 states experienced an overall decrease in biased crimes but the overall murders of LGBTQ people has increased by 11%.
Trans* women of color make up 44% of the total murder victims of LGBTQ people.
4 & 8 are the ages of Zachary Dutro-Boggess, and Gabriel Fernandez when their parents murdered them for displaying gender nonconforming behaviors.
50% of Trans* people have reported experiencing sexual violence. This is double the rate for cis-gender women and triple the rate of cis-gender men.
60-70% of Trans* people have suffered physical or sexual assault by a member of law enforcement. The rate of violence by police officers is 3 times higher for Trans* people.
78% of gender non-conforming students reported abuse at school.
31% of gender non-conforming students report abuse at school from teachers.
Of the students who experienced high levels of harassment in school, 49% did not plan to go to college.
60% of Trans* people say they have had a doctor refuse to treat them.
41% of Trans* people have attempted suicide. That’s 9 times the national average.
For more information reach out to The National Center for Transgender Equality.
Photo Credit: Do Something
Meg Ten Eyck is a former LGBT rights activist, currently living in South Korea and traveling the world with her partner Lindsay. They write about their experiences as a queer couple on their blog Dopes on the Road and post their travel photos on Instagram @dopesontheroad.
