You may have thought that you knew a lot about the trans community, but I would like to share some surprising facts and figures with you about the reality of being transgender in the today's day and age.
I will link all of the sources at the end of this article if you would like to do a little more reading about these topics.
Hate Crime Against Trans and Non-binary Individuals are on the Rise.
With all the LGBT acceptance and pride being more prominent than ever, you would think that hate crime towards the trans community would have decreased over the years. Unfortunately, that is not the case.
Hate crime towards transgender individuals has become more and more common over the years, and it seems to be increasing year by year.
Many people speculate that this is because more and more people are aware of trans people, and have formed opinions of them - either positive or negative. This means that trans visibility has not necessarily benefited the community.
"Two in five trans people (41%) and three in ten non-binary people (31%) have experienced a hate crime or incident because of their gender identity in the last 12 months."
"More than a quarter of trans people (28 %) in a relationship in the last year have faced domestic abuse from a partner."
Suicide Rates Among Transgender People is Very High.
It saddens me to say, that it's not surprise to most that suicide rates are high within the trans community. Being trans is not easy. As mentioned before, hate crime is on the rise - and it's negatively affecting the mental well-being of trans individuals.
Most suicidal thoughts are linked to discrimination and injustice. However, relationships, domestic abuse and lack of healthcare are high on the list.
"98% of trans individuals who had experienced four instances of discrimination and violence in the past year thought about suicide that year.
... 51% attempted suicide that year."
"11% who had been rejected from their families reported past-year suicide attempts."
"9% who wanted but did not receive gender-affirming care reported past-year suicide attempts."
Discrimination of Trans individuals in the Workplace and University
I am pleased to share that I have not faced much discrimination in the work place or university, but not everyone is privileged enough to attend such an accepting and forward thinking university as myself (University of Sunderland).
Education and work is the key to developing skills and gaining knowledge, so it makes me immensely disheartened to hear that my trans brothers and sisters had to leave work or higher education.
"One in eight trans employees (12%) have been physically attacked by colleagues or customers in the last year."
"More than a third of trans university students (36%) in higher education have experienced negative comments or behaviour from staff in the last year."
"One in seven trans university students (14%) have considered dropping out or have dropped out of a higher education course because of experiencing harassment or discrimination from students and staff in the last year."
Trans Visibility in the Mainstream and Social media.
Unfortunately there hasn't been much data speaking about trans visibility in the media, however - if you have your eyes open, you will notice more and more trans issues being spoken about in the mainstream media as well as social media.
Influencers and trans activists such as:
Angelica Ross
Valentina Sampaio
Nikita Dragun
Gigi Gorgeous
Billy Porter
Mj Rodrigues
Jamie Raines
... have increased the trans visibility in the media.
However, it is a double edged sword.
As much as educating people about trans individuals and their validity, people will always form their own opinions and hold on to old-fashioned perspectives. This (as mentioned before) has potentially been a contributor to the increased hate crime towards the transgender community.
Lack of healthcare
Now this doesn't sadden me, it makes me angry.
Healthcare is a fundamental service every single person is entitled to, so being refused to be treated - or asked to be put on a waiting list for years is not okay.
Healthcare is and always will be really important to transgender individuals as part of relieving their gender dysphoria. As mentioned above, the lack of healthcare can lead to trans people being subject to suicidal thoughts.
"Two in five trans people (41%) said that healthcare staff lacked understanding of specific trans health needs when accessing general healthcare services in the last year."
"Three in five trans people (62%) who have undergone, or are currently undergoing, medical intervention for their transition are unsatisfied with the time it took to get an appointment."
"Seven per cent (7%) of trans people said they have been refused care because they are LGBT, while trying to access healthcare services in the last year."
"More than one in ten trans people (11%) have gone abroad for medical treatment to alter their physical appearance, including buying hormones over the internet from other countries, with many citing the barriers they currently face in accessing medical treatment in the UK."
Extra resources:
Discrimination:
Suicide rates:
Trans visibility: