A Double Whammy

We often read about the high unemployment rate among trans-people. But it is even higher if you are a minority and trans, you get hit with twice the bigotry. This is born out in an article in the San Diego Gay & Lesbian News article,

Report: Startling levels of discrimination against American Indian and Alaskan Native transgender people
SDGLN Staff
October 8th, 2012

WASHINGTON -- American Indian and Alaskan Native transgender and gender non-conforming people face some of the highest levels of discrimination of all transgender people, according to a new analysis released today.

Injustice at Every Turn: A Look at American Indian and Alaskan Native Respondents in the National Transgender Discrimination Survey was released on Columbus Day, an intentional effort to highlight the specific circumstances that American Indian and Alaskan Native people experience due to a history of colonialism and genocide that continues today with a federal holiday celebrating the "discovery" of America.

The report found said…

KEY FINDINGS
• Discrimination was pervasive for all respondents who took the National Transgender Discrimination Survey, yet the combination of anti-transgender bias and persistent, structural and interpersonal acts of racism was especially devastating for American Indian and Alaska Native transgender people and other people of color.
• American Indian and Alaskan Native transgender and gender non-conforming people often live in extreme poverty with 23% reporting a household income of less than $10,000/year. This compares to a rate of 15% for transgender people of all races. It is about three times the general American Indian and Alaskan Native population rate (8%), and nearly six times the general U.S. population rate (4%).
• American Indian and Alaskan Native transgender and gender non-conforming people were affected by HIV in devastating numbers - 3.24% reported being HIV positive and an additional 8.53% reported that they did not know their status. This compares to rates of 2.64% for transgender respondents of all races, and 0.60% of the general U.S. population.
• Fifty-six percent (56%) of American Indian and Alaskan Native transgender respondents reported having attempted suicide compared to 41% of all study respondents.

The attempted suicide rate for trans-people is high enough, but the rate for American Indian and Alaskan Native boggles the mind. Especially when you realize that the attempted suicide rate for all Americans is around 1.5%.

Also in the report,

• American Indian and Alaskan Native respondents who attended school expressing a transgender identity or gender non-conformity reported alarming rates of harassment (86%), physical assault (51%), and sexual assault (21%) in K-12; harassment was so severe that it led 19% to leave school. Eleven percent (11%) were also expelled due to bias.
• Respondents who were harassed and abused by teachers in K-12 settings show dramatically worse health and other outcomes compared to those who do not experience such abuse. Peer harassment and abuse also had highly damaging effects.

In another report Injustice At Every Turn: A Look at Black Respondents in the National Transgender Discrimination Survey that used the base survey, they found…

KEY FINDINGS
• Discrimination was pervasive for all respondents who took the National Transgender Discrimination Survey, yet the combination of anti-transgender bias and persistent, structural and individual racism was especially devastating for Black transgender people and other people of color.
• Black transgender people live in extreme poverty with 34% reporting a household income of less than $10,000/year. This is more than twice the rate for transgender people of all races (15%), four times the general Black population rate (9%), and over eight times the general US population rate (4%).
• Black transgender people are affected by HIV in devastating numbers. Over one-fifth of Black respondents were HIV-positive (20.23%) and an additional 10% reported that they did not know their status. This compares to rates of 2.64% for transgender respondents of all races, 2.4% for the general Black population, and 0.60% of the general US population.• Nearly half (49%) of Black respondents reported having attempted suicide.
• Black transgender people who were out to their families found acceptance at a higher rate than the overall sample of transgender respondents. 

The blacks are not quite as bad as the Alaskan Native Americans but are still bad off. It could be because the Native Americans are already living in poverty and living on tribal land, and that being trans just makes it that must worst.