The 2022 US Transgender Survey offers insights into the lives and experiences of transgender Americans.
Story highlights
Majority of those who transitioned said they were satisfied with life
Some reported moving states because of laws targeting transgender people
Still, jobless rate among respondents was nearly 5 times national average
Nearly a quarter said they avoided seeing a doctor out of fear of mistreatment
CNN —
Results from the largest survey of transgender people in the United States were released Wednesday, revealing key insights into their lives and experiences at a time when trans rights haveincreasingly come under attack.
The 2022 US Transgender Survey Early Insights report, conducted by the National Center for Transgender Equality, polled an “unprecedented” 92,329 binary and nonbinary transgender peopleages16 and olderliving in the US, its territories or military bases, according to the report.
Respondents were surveyedonissues including their family life, health care,employment,education,housing and public accommodation.While many transgender people surveyedwho have transitionedsaid they were satisfied with their lives, the report also noted transgender people continue to face disparities and discrimination across the country.
Rodrigo Heng-Lehtinen, executive director of NCTE, said there should be state and federal laws to ensure that everyone – including transgender people –istreated fairly.
“So often, transgender people are talked about, like we’re a political football, or mysterious,” he said. “Now, we finally have concrete facts, we actually have some data to show what being transgender in America is really like and that is essential because these attacks against our community are coming from misinformation and a lack of understanding of who we really are.”
Life after transitioning
The survey found the majority of people who transitionedgenderssaid they were satisfiedwith their lives.
Ninety-four percent ofrespondents who lived at least some of the time in a different gender than the one they were assigned at birth reported being “a lot more satisfied” or “a little more satisfied” with their life,with 79% expressing the highest level of satisfaction,according to the report.
Only three percent of people surveyed indicated they were “a little less satisfied” (1%) or “a lot less satisfied” (2%), the report found.
What’s more, “nearly all” respondents who said they were receiving hormone treatmentat the time of the survey– 98% – said receiving hormones for their gender identity/transition increased satisfaction with their life.
Eighty-four percent of respondents said they were “a lot more satisfied”whilereceiving hormone treatment and 14% of respondents said they were “a little more satisfied.” Less than 1% of people surveyed said receiving the hormones made them less satisfied with their lives.
Discrimination and mistreatment
The report’s findings come as multiple states have passed laws restrictingor banning gender-affirming care.Forty percent of people surveyed said they considered movingbecause they experienceddiscrimination or unequal treatmentwhere they were living,and 10% said they had already moved because of discrimination.
Respondents also reported moving from states like Florida, Virginia, Texas, and North Carolina because of laws targeting transgender peoplefor unequal treatment.
More than a third (39%) of respondents said they were harassed online because of their gender expression or identity in theprevious12 months,and 30% reported being verbally harassed during the sametime frame.
The report also revealed findings that suggest the ongoing culture war over transgender rights has impacted students.
Nearly 60% of respondentsages16 to 17 who are out or perceived as transgender in grades K-12saidthey experienced mistreatment or a negative experience, including“verbal harassment, physical attacks, online bullying, being denied the ability to dress according to their gender identity/expression, teachers or staff refusing to use chosen name or pronouns, or being denied the use of restrooms or locker rooms matching their gender identity.”
A majority ofrespondentsof all ages, 62%, also said they were “very uncomfortable” or “somewhat uncomfortable” asking police for help when needed because of their gender expression or identity.
“This data is crucial to really show an accurate picture of transgender people’s experiences,” Heng-Lehtinen said.
“There are rising attacks against transgender people these days, both in terms of hostile policy, meaning anti-transgender bills moving through state legislatures, and in terms of physical attacks - people actually being hurt and even killed because they happen to be transgender.”
Health and safety
When asked about their health careexperiences, nearly half of respondents, 48%,who had seen a provider in the past 12 monthssaid they had at least one negative experience because they were transgender, according to the report.
Some of those experiencesreportedincluded, “being refused health care, being misgendered, having a provider use harsh or abusive language when treating them, or having a provider be physically rough or abusive when treating them.”
Nearly a quarter of respondents said they avoided seeing a doctorin the previous year when they needed to out of fear of mistreatment, while 28% said they did not go to the doctorduring that timeframebecause of cost.
The report also found that the unemployment rate among respondents was nearly five times the national average –18%.
The 2022 USTransSurvey is a follow up to the2015 US Trans Survey, which included more than 27,700 respondents across the US, its territories and its military bases.The2022survey was conducted online in Spanish and English by the NCTE in conjunction with the Black Trans Advocacy Coalition, National Queer Asian Pacific Islander Alliance, and TransLatin@ Coalition.
Participants were surveyed from October 19 through December 5,2022,and the majority of respondents–84,170–wereages18 and older.
CNN’s Scottie Andrew and Nicole Chavez contributed to this report.
