Introduction
Transgender people have a gender identity or gender expression that differs from their
assigned sex.[1][2][3] Some transgender people who desire medical assistance to transition from
one sex to another identify as transsexual.[4][5] Transgender – often shortened as trans – is
also an umbrella term: in addition to including people whose gender identity is the opposite
of their assigned sex (trans men and trans women), it may include people who are not
exclusively masculine or feminine (people who are non-binary or genderqueer, including
bigender, pangender, genderfluid, or agender).[2][6][7] Other definitions of transgender also
include people who belong to a third gender, or else conceptualize transgender people as a
third gender.[8][9] The term transgender may be defined very broadly to include cross-
dressers.[10]
Being transgender is independent of sexual orientation:[11] transgender people may identify as
heterosexual, homosexual, bisexual, asexual, or may decline to label their sexual orientation.
The term transgender is also distinguished from intersex, a term that describes people born
with physical sex characteristics "that do not fit typical binary notions of male or female
bodies".[12] The opposite of transgender is cisgender, which describes persons whose gender
identity or expression matches their assigned sex.[13]
The degree to which individuals feel genuine, authentic, and comfortable within their external
appearance and accept their genuine identity has been called transgender congruence.[14]
Many transgender people experience gender dysphoria, and some seek medical treatments
such as hormone replacement therapy, sex reassignment surgery, or psychotherapy.[15] Not all
transgender people desire these treatments, and some cannot undergo them for financial or
medical reasons.[15][16]
Many transgender people face discrimination in the workplace[17] and in accessing public
accommodations[18] and healthcare.[19] In many places they are not legally protected from
discrimination.[20]
Evolution of transgender terminology
Psychiatrist John F. Oliven of Columbia University coined the term transgender in his 1965
reference work Sexual Hygiene and Pathology, writing that the term which had previously
been used, transsexualism, "is misleading; actually, 'transgenderism' is meant, because
sexuality is not a major factor in primary transvestism."[21][22] The term transgender was then
popularized with varying definitions by various transgender, transsexual, and transvestite
people, including Virginia Prince,[4] who used it in the December 1969 issue of Transvestia, a
national magazine for cross dressers she founded.[23] By the mid-1970s both trans-gender and
trans people were in use as umbrella terms,[note 1] and transgenderist was used to refer to
people who wanted to live cross-gender without sex reassignment surgery (SRS).[24] By 1976,
transgenderist was abbreviated as TG in educational materials.[25]
By 1984, the concept of a "transgender community" had developed, in which transgender
was used as an umbrella term.[26] In 1985, Richard Elkins established the "Trans-Gender
Archive" at the University of Ulster.[23] By 1992, the International Conference on
Transgender Law and Employment Policy defined transgender as an expansive umbrella
term including "transsexuals, transgenderists, cross dressers", and anyone transitioning.[27]
Leslie Feinberg's pamphlet, "Transgender Liberation: A Movement Whose Time has Come",
circulated in 1992, identified transgender as a term to unify all forms of gender
nonconformity; in this way transgender has become synonymous with queer.[28]
Between the mid-1990s and the early 2000s, the primary terms used under the transgender
umbrella were "female to male" (FtM) for men who transitioned from female to male, and
"male to female" (MtF) for women who transitioned from male to female. These terms have
now been superseded by "trans man" and "trans woman", respectively, and the terms "trans-
masculine" or "trans-feminine" are increasingly in use.[29] This shift in preference from terms
highlighting biological sex ("transsexual", "FtM") to terms highlighting gender identity and
expression ("transgender", "trans woman") reflects a broader shift in the understanding of
transgender people's sense of self and the increasing recognition of those who decline
medical reassignment as part of the transgender community.[29]
Health-practitioner manuals, professional journalistic style guides, and LGBT advocacy
groups advise the adoption by others of the name and pronouns identified by the person in
question, including present references to the transgender person's past.[30][31] Many also note
that transgender should be used as an adjective, not a noun (for example, "Max is
transgender" or "Max is a transgender man", not "Max is a transgender"), and that
transgender should be used, not transgendered.[32][33][34]
In contrast, people whose sense of personal identity corresponds to the sex and gender
assigned to them at birth – that is, those who are neither transgender nor non-binary or
genderqueer – are called cisgender.[35]
LGBT community
The concepts of gender identity and transgender identity differ from that of sexual
orientation.[68] Sexual orientation is an individual's enduring physical, romantic, emotional, or
spiritual attraction to another person, while gender identity is one's personal sense of being a
man or a woman.[32] Transgender people have more or less the same variety of sexual
orientations as cisgender people.[69] In the past, the terms homosexual and heterosexual were
incorrectly used to label transgender individuals' sexual orientation based on their birth
sex.[70] Professional literature often uses terms such as attracted to men (androphilic),
attracted to women (gynephilic), attracted to both (bisexual), or attracted to neither (asexual)
to describe a person's sexual orientation without reference to their gender identity.[71]
Therapists are coming to understand the necessity of using terms with respect to their clients'
gender identities and preferences.[72] For example, a person who is assigned male at birth,
transitions to female, and is attracted to men would be identified as heterosexual.
Despite the distinction between sexual orientation and gender, throughout history the gay,
lesbian, and bisexual subculture was often the only place where gender-variant people were
socially accepted in the gender role they felt they belonged to; especially during the time
when legal or medical transitioning was almost impossible. This acceptance has had a
complex history. Like the wider world, the gay community in Western societies did not
generally distinguish between sex and gender identity until the 1970s, and often perceived
gender-variant people more as homosexuals who behaved in a gender-variant way than as
gender-variant people in their own right. In addition, the role of the transgender community
in the history of LGBT rights is often overlooked, as shown in Transforming History.[73]
Mental healthcare
Most mental health professionals recommend therapy for internal conflicts about gender
identity or discomfort in an assigned gender role, especially if one desires to transition.
People who experience discord between their gender and the expectations of others or whose
gender identity conflicts with their body may benefit by talking through their feelings in
depth; however, research on gender identity with regard to psychology, and scientific
understanding of the phenomenon and its related issues, is relatively new.[75] The terms
transsexualism, dual-role transvestism, gender identity disorder in adolescents or adults, and
gender identity disorder not otherwise specified are listed as such in the International
Statistical Classification of Diseases (ICD) by the WHO or the American Diagnostic and
Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) under codes F64.0, F64.1, 302.85, and 302.6
respectively.[76]
The validity of the diagnosis and its presence in the forthcoming ICD-11 is debated. France
removed gender identity disorder as a diagnosis by decree in 2010,[77][78] but according to
French trans rights organizations, beyond the impact of the announcement itself, nothing
changed.[79] In 2017, the Danish parliament abolished the F64 Gender identity disorders. The
DSM-5 refers to the topic as gender dysphoria while reinforcing the idea that being
transgender is not considered a mental illness.[80]
Transgender people may meet the criteria for a diagnosis of gender identity disorder (GID)
"only if [being transgender] causes distress or disability."[81] This distress is referred to as
gender dysphoria and may manifest as depression or inability to work and form healthy
relationships with others. This diagnosis is often misinterpreted as implying that transgender
people suffer from GID; this misinterpretation has greatly confused transgender people and
those who seek to either criticize or affirm them. Transgender people who are comfortable
with their gender and whose gender is not directly causing inner frustration or impairing their
functioning do not suffer from GID. Moreover, GID is not necessarily permanent and is often
resolved through therapy or transitioning. Feeling oppressed by the negative attitudes and
behaviors of such others as legal entities does not indicate GID. GID does not imply an
opinion of immorality; the psychological establishment holds that people with any kind of
mental or emotional problem should not receive stigma. The solution for GID is whatever
will alleviate suffering and restore functionality; this solution often, but not always, consists
of undergoing a gender transition.[75]
Clinical training lacks relevant information needed in order to adequately help transgender
clients, which results in a large number of practitioners who are not prepared to sufficiently
work with this population of individuals.[82] Many mental healthcare providers know little
about transgender issues. Those who seek help from these professionals often educate the
professional without receiving help.[75] This solution usually is good for transsexual people
but is not the solution for other transgender people, particularly non-binary people who lack
an exclusively male or female identity. Instead, therapists can support their clients in
whatever steps they choose to take to transition or can support their decision not to transition
while also addressing their clients' sense of congruence between gender identity and
appearance.[14]
Acknowledgment of the lack of clinical training has increased; however, research on the
specific problems faced by the transgender community in mental health has focused on
diagnosis and clinicians' experiences instead of transgender clients' experiences.[83] Therapy
was not always sought by transgender people due to mental health needs. Prior to the seventh
version of the Standards of Care (SOC), an individual had to be diagnosed with gender
identity disorder in order to proceed with hormone treatments or sexual reassignment surgery.
The new version decreased the focus on diagnosis and instead emphasized the importance of
flexibility in order to meet the diverse health care needs of transsexual, transgender, and all
gender-nonconforming people.[84]
The reasons for seeking mental health services vary according to the individual. A
transgender person seeking treatment does not necessarily mean their gender identity is
problematic. The emotional strain of dealing with stigma and experiencing transphobia
pushes many transgender people to seek treatment to improve their quality of life, as one
trans woman reflected: "Transgendered individuals are going to come to a therapist and most
of their issues have nothing to do, specifically, with being transgendered. It has to do because
they've had to hide, they've had to lie, and they've felt all of this guilt and shame,
unfortunately usually for years!"[83] Many transgender people also seek mental health
treatment for depression and anxiety caused by the stigma attached to being transgender, and
some transgender people have stressed the importance of acknowledging their gender identity
with a therapist in order to discuss other quality-of-life issues.[83] Others regret having
undergone the procedure and wish to detransition.[85]
Problems still remain surrounding misinformation about transgender issues that hurt
transgender people's mental health experiences. One trans man who was enrolled as a student
in a psychology graduate program highlighted the main concerns with modern clinical
training: "Most people probably are familiar with the term transgender, but maybe that's it. I
don’t think I've had any formal training just going through [clinical] programs . . . I don’t
think most [therapists] know. Most therapists—Master's degree, PhD level—they've had . . .
one diversity class on GLBT issues. One class out of the huge diversity training. One class.
And it was probably mostly about gay lifestyle."[83] Many health insurance policies do not
cover treatment associated with gender transition, and numerous people are under- or
uninsured, which raises concerns about the insufficient training most therapists receive prior
to working with transgender clients, potentially increasing financial strain on clients without
providing the treatment they need.[83] Many clinicians who work with transgender clients
only receive mediocre training on gender identity, but introductory training on interacting
with transgender people has recently been made available to health care professionals to help
remove barriers and increase the level of service for the transgender population.[86]
The issues around psychological classifications and associated stigma (whether based in
paraphilia or not) of cross-dressers, transsexual men and women (and lesbian and gay
children, who may resemble trans children early in life) have become more complex since
CAMH (Centre for Addiction and Mental Health) colleagues Kenneth Zucker and Ray
Blanchard were announced to be serving on the DSM-V's Sexual and Gender Identity
Disorders Work Group.[87] CAMH aims to "cure" transgender people of their "disorder",
especially in children. Within the trans community, this intention has mostly produced shock
and outrage with attempts to organize other responses.[88] In February 2010, France became
the first country in the world to remove transgender identity from the list of mental
diseases.[89][90]
A 2011 study carried out by the Williams Institute (a UCLA think tank) found that 41% of
transgender people had attempted suicide, with the rate being higher among people who
experienced discrimination in access to housing or healthcare, harassment, physical or sexual
assault, or rejection by family.[91]
Autism is more common in people who are gender dysphoric. It is not known whether there
is a biological basis. This may be due to the fact that people on the autism spectrum are less
concerned with societal disapproval, and feel less fear or inhibition about coming out as trans
than others.[92]
Physical healthcare
Medical and surgical procedures exist for transsexual and some transgender people, though
most categories of transgender people as described above are not known for seeking the
following treatments. Hormone replacement therapy for trans men induces beard growth and
masculinizes skin, hair, voice, and fat distribution. Hormone replacement therapy for trans
women feminizes fat distribution and breasts. Laser hair removal or electrolysis removes
excess hair for trans women. Surgical procedures for trans women feminize the voice, skin,
face, adam's apple, breasts, waist, buttocks, and genitals. Surgical procedures for trans men
masculinize the chest and genitals and remove the womb, ovaries, and fallopian tubes. The
acronyms "GRS" and "SRS" refer to genital surgery. The term "sex reassignment therapy"
(SRT) is used as an umbrella term for physical procedures required for transition. Use of the
term "sex change" has been criticized for its emphasis on surgery, and the term "transition" is
preferred.[6][93] Availability of these procedures depends on degree of gender dysphoria,
presence or absence of gender identity disorder,[94] and standards of care in the relevant
jurisdiction.
Trans men who have not had a hysterectomy and who take testosterone are at increased risk
for endometrial cancer because androstenedione, which is made from testosterone in the
body, can be converted into estrogen, and external estrogen is a risk factor for endometrial
cancer.[95]
Law
Legal procedures exist in some jurisdictions which allow individuals to
change their legal gender or name to reflect their gender identity.
Requirements for these procedures vary from an explicit formal diagnosis
of transsexualism, to a diagnosis of gender identity disorder, to a letter
from a physician that attests the individual's gender transition or having
established a different gender role.[96] In 1994, the DSM IV entry was
changed from "Transsexual" to "Gender Identity Disorder". In many places,
transgender people are not legally protected from discrimination in the
workplace or in public accommodations.[20] A report released in February
2011 found that 90% of transgender people faced discrimination at work
and were unemployed at double the rate of the general population,[18] and
over half had been harassed or turned away when attempting to access
public services.[18] Members of the transgender community also encounter
high levels of discrimination in health care.[97]
India
Main article: LGBT rights in India § Transgender rights
In April 2014, the Supreme Court of India declared transgender to be a 'third gender' in
Indian law.[117][118][119] The transgender community in India (made up of Hijras and others)
has a long history in India and in Hindu mythology.[120][121] Justice KS Radhakrishnan noted
in his decision that, "Seldom, our society realizes or cares to realize the trauma, agony and
pain which the members of Transgender community undergo, nor appreciates the innate
feelings of the members of the Transgender community, especially of those whose mind and
body disown their biological sex", adding:
Non-recognition of the identity of Hijras/transgender persons denies them equal protection of
law, thereby leaving them extremely vulnerable to harassment, violence and sexual assault in
public spaces, at home and in jail, also by the police. Sexual assault, including molestation,
rape, forced anal and oral sex, gang rape and stripping is being committed with impunity and
there are reliable statistics and materials to support such activities. Further, non-recognition
of identity of Hijras/transgender persons results in them facing extreme discrimination in all
spheres of society, especially in the field of employment, education, healthcare etc.[122]
Hijras face structural discrimination including not being able to obtain driving licenses, and
being prohibited from accessing various social benefits. It is also common for them to be
banished from communities.[123]
Coming out
Transgender people vary greatly in choosing when, whether, and how to disclose their
transgender status to family, close friends, and others. The prevalence of discrimination[178] and
violence (transgender people are 28% more likely to be victims of violence)[179] against transgender
persons can make coming out a risky decision. Fear of retaliatory behavior, such as being removed
from the parental home while underage, is a cause for transgender people to not come out to
their families until they have reached adulthood.[180] Parental confusion and lack of acceptance of
a transgender child may result in parents treating a newly revealed gender identity as a "phase" or
making efforts to change their children back to "normal" by utilizing mental health services to
alter the child's gender identity.[181][182]
The internet can play a significant role in the coming out process for transgender people.
Some come out in an online identity first, providing an opportunity to go through experiences
virtually and safely before risking social sanctions in the real world.[183]
Media representation
As more transgender people are represented and included within the realm of mass culture,
the stigma that is associated with being transgender can influence the decisions, ideas, and
thoughts based upon it. Media representation, culture industry, and social marginalization all
hint at popular culture standards and the applicability and significance to mass culture as
well. These terms play an important role in the formation of notions for those who have little
recognition or knowledge of transgender people. Media depictions represent only a minuscule
spectrum of the transgender group,[184] which essentially conveys that those that are shown
are the only interpretations and ideas society has of them.
However, in 2014, the United States reached a "transgender tipping point", according to
Time.[185][186] At this time, the media visibility of transgender people reached a level higher
than seen before. Since then, the number of transgender portrayals across TV platforms has
stayed elevated.[187] Research has found that viewing multiple transgender TV characters and
stories improves viewers' attitudes toward transgender people and related policies.[188]
Events
International Transgender Day of Visibility
Main article: International Transgender Day of Visibility
International Transgender Day of Visibility is an annual holiday occurring on March
31[189][190] dedicated to celebrating transgender people and raising awareness of
discrimination faced by transgender people worldwide. The holiday was founded by
Michigan-based transgender activist[191] Rachel Crandall in 2009[192] as a reaction to the lack
of LGBT holidays celebrating transgender people, citing the frustration that the only well-
known transgender-centered holiday was the Transgender Day of Remembrance which
mourned the loss of transgender people to hate crimes, but did not acknowledge and celebrate
living members of the transgender community.[citation needed]
Transgender Awareness Week
Main article: Transgender Awareness Week
Transgender Awareness Week is a one-week celebration leading up to Transgender Day of
Remembrance. The purpose of Transgender Awareness Week is to educate about transgender
and gender non-conforming people and the issues associated with their transition or
identity.[193]
Transgender Day of Remembrance
Main article: Transgender Day of Remembrance
Transgender Day of Remembrance (TDOR) is held every year on November 20 in honor of
Rita Hester, who was killed on November 28, 1998, in an anti-transgender hate crime. TDOR
serves a number of purposes:
it memorializes all of those who have been victims of hate crimes and prejudice,
it raises awareness about hate crimes towards the transgender community,
and it honors the dead and their relatives[194]
Trans March "Existrans" 2017
Trans March
Main article: Trans March
Annual marches, protests or gatherings take place around the world for transgender issues,
often taking place during the time of local Pride parades for LGBT people. These events are
frequently organised by trans communities to build community, address human rights
struggles, and create visibility.[citation needed]
Pride symbols
Main article: LGBT_symbols § Transgender
See also: Transgender flags and List of historical sources for pink and blue as gender signifiers
Transgender Pride flag
A common symbol for the transgender community is the Transgender Pride Flag, which was
designed by the American transgender woman Monica Helms in 1999, and was first shown at
a pride parade in Phoenix, Arizona in 2000. The flag consists of five horizontal stripes: light
blue, pink, white, pink, and light blue. Helms describes the meaning of the flag as follows:
The light blue is the traditional color for baby boys, pink is for girls, and the white in the
middle is for "those who are transitioning, those who feel they have a neutral gender or no
gender", and those who are intersex. The pattern is such that "no matter which way you fly it,
it will always be correct. This symbolizes us trying to find correctness in our own lives."[195]
Other transgender symbols include the butterfly (symbolizing transformation or
metamorphosis),[196] and a pink/light blue yin and yang symbol.[citation needed] Several gender
symbols have been used to represent transgender people, including ⚥ and ⚧.[197][198]
Transgender people come from all walks of life. We are dads and moms, brothers and sisters,
sons and daughters. We are your coworkers, and your neighbors. We are 7-year-old children
and 70-year-old grandparents. We are a diverse community, representing all racial and ethnic
backgrounds, as well as faith backgrounds.
The word “transgender” – or trans – is an umbrella term for people whose gender identity is
different from the sex assigned to us at birth. Although the word “transgender” and our
modern definition of it only came into use in the late 20th century, people who would fit
under this definition have existed in every culture throughout recorded history.
Despite the increased visibility of transgender celebrities like actress Laverne Cox or writer
Janet Mock, many Americans still don’t personally know anyone who is transgender – but
the number who do is growing rapidly. According to a 2016 survey by Greenberg Quinlan
Rosner Research, commissioned by the Human Rights Campaign, 35 percent of likely voters
in the United States “personally know or work with someone who is transgender.” That's
more than double the 17 percent who answered yes when asked the same question in 2014.
Other research suggests that there are at least 700,000 transgender people in the United
States, about 0.3 percent of the total population and about 3.5 percent of the LGBTQ
community; but these estimates are likely conservative because of the limited amount of
studies that have attempted to measure the transgender population.
What does it mean to be transgender?
The transgender community is incredibly diverse. Some transgender people identify as male
or female, and some identify as genderqueer, nonbinary, agender, or somewhere else on or
outside of the spectrum of what we understand gender to be. Some of us take hormones and
have surgery as part of our transition, and some don’t. Some choose to openly identify as
transgender, while others simply identify as men or women. For more information on
questions you may have about transgender people, check out our Transgender FAQ.
In the HRC Foundation’s 2012 survey of LGBTQ youth, about 10 percent of respondents
identified themselves either as “transgender” or as “other gender,” and wrote in identities like
“genderqueer,” “gender-fluid” or “androgynous.” This suggests that a larger portion of this
generation’s youth are identifying somewhere on the broad transgender spectrum.
In many ways, transgender people are just like cisgender (non-transgender) people; but
because of the social stigma surrounding our transgender identity, our community faces a
unique set of challenges.
What challenges do transgender people face?
While the visibility of transgender people is increasing in popular culture and daily life, we
still face severe discrimination, stigma and systemic inequality. Some of the specific issues
facing the transgender community are:
Lack of legal protection– While the federal government's Equal Employment
Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and the Department of Education have recently
taken steps to include transgender people under existing non-discrimination
protections, there is still no comprehensive non-discrimination law that includes
gender identity. According to the Human Rights Campaign’s 2014 State Equality
Index, only 18 states and the District of Columbia prohibit employment and housing
discrimination based on gender identity; only 17 states and the District of Columbia
prohibit discrimination based on gender identity in public accommodations; and only
15 states and the District of Columbia prohibit discrimination based on gender
identity in education. Moreover, state legislatures across the country are debating –
and in some cases passing – legislation specifically designed to prohibit transgender
people from accessing public bathrooms that correspond with our gender identity, or
creating exemptions based on religious beliefs that would allow discrimination against
LGBTQ people.
Poverty– In too many cases, this lack of legal protection translates into
unemployment for transgender people. The National Transgender Discrimination
Survey (NTDS) found that 15 percent of respondents were living in severe poverty
(making less than $10,000/year). For transgender people of color, those rates were
even higher, with 34 percent of Black and 28 percent of Latina/o respondents
reporting a household income of less than $10,000 a year. As anyone who has
experienced poverty or unemployment understands, being unable to afford basic
living necessities can result in homelessness or lead people to engage in underground
economies like drug sales or survival sex work, which can put people at increased risk
for violence and arrest.
Harassment and stigma– The LGBTQ community still faces considerable stigma
based on over a century of being characterized as mentally ill, socially deviant and
sexually predatory. While these flawed views have faded in recent years for lesbians
and gay men, transgender people are still often met with ridicule from a society that
does not understand us. This stigma plays out in a variety of contexts – leaving us
vulnerable to lawmakers who attempt to leverage anti-transgender stigma to score
cheap political points; to family, friends or coworkers who reject transgender people
upon learning about our transgender identities; and to people who harass, bully and
commit serious violence against transgender people.
Anti-transgender violence– At least 13 transgender women were murdered in 2014,
and 2015 is on track to see even higher numbers. These women were stabbed, shot,
strangled, burned; killed violently by intimate partners or strangers. According to the
2013 National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs (NCAVP) report on hate violence
against lesbian, bisexual, transgender, queer and HIV-affected (LGBTQH)
communities, 72 percent of the victims of LGBTQ or HIV-motivated hate violence
homicides in 2013 were transgender women, and 67 percent were transgender women
of color. Transgender people have few options for protecting ourselves from violence
or seeking justice. The NTDS found that 22 percent of transgender people who had
interacted with police experienced bias-based harassment from police, with
transgender people of color reporting much higher rates. Six percent reported physical
assault; 2 percent reported sexual assault by police; and 20 percent reported having
been denied equal service by law enforcement. Nearly half of the transgender people
surveyed in the study said that they were uncomfortable turning to police for help.
Barriers to healthcare– Data collection on health disparities among transgender
people is very limited, but the data we do have reveal a healthcare system that is not
meeting the needs of the transgender community. In a 2012 needs assessment by the
Washington D.C. Trans Coalition, 44 percent of those who identified health as one of
their top priorities said that access to transgender-sensitive healthcare was their most
significant need. Beyond facing barriers to obtaining medically-necessary health
services and encountering medical professionals who lacked transgender health care
competency, the NTDS found that almost 20 percent of respondents had been refused
medical care outright because of bias.
Identity Documents – The widespread lack of accurate identity documents among
transgender people can have an impact on every area of their lives, including access to
emergency housing or other public services. To be clear, without identification, one
cannot travel, register for school or access many services that are essential to function
in society. Many states require evidence of medical transition – which can be
prohibitively expensive and is not something that all transgender people want – as
well as fees for processing new identity documents, which may make them
unaffordable for some members of the transgender community. The NTDS found that
among those respondents who have already transitioned, 33 percent had not been able
to update any of their identity documents to match their affirmed gender.
While advocates continue working to remedy these disparities, change cannot come too soon
for transgender people. Visibility – especially positive images of transgender people in the
media and society – continues to make a critical difference for us; but visibility is not enough
and comes with real risks to our safety, especially for those of us who are part of other
marginalized communities. That is why the Human Rights Campaign is committed to
continuing to support and advocate for the transgender community, so that the transgender
Americans who are and will become your friends, neighbors, coworkers and family members
have an equal chance to succeed and thrive.
Resources
Celebrate National Coming Out Day with HRC!
HRC’s Brief Guide to Getting Transgender Coverage Right
Teen Dating Violence Among LGBTQ Youth
Latest Posts
HRC Volunteer Zoe Roberts on Why We Need Protections Against Conversion
Therapy
Our Rights At Stake: Key Cases Before SCOTUS
Top Five Ways to Promote Ally Behavior in Students
Videos
HRC Youth Ambassadors on International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia,
and Biphobia
Jaila Simms on Coming Out as Transgender
Lana Wachowski receives the HRC Visibility Award
