Something We All Know

That when we transition we pay a price, that for many trans women our wages go down, down below even that for women.

This Is What Transphobia Does to People, But We Can Beat It
Care2
By Steve Williams
February 21, 2015

A shocking new report shows the hardships that transphobia and discrimination cause for trans people, including higher rates of homelessness, poverty, lack of health care access and increased risks of violence.

The report, titled Paying an Unfair Price: The Financial Penalty for Being Transgender in America, is a product of collected research put together by The Movement Advancement Project together with the Center for American Progress. The report aims to get a snapshot of how transphobic discrimination, a lack of understanding surrounding trans health care needs, and a whole host of other issues combine to create a perfect storm of poverty for many trans people in the United States today.

The report highlights that pervasive discrimination and a lack of job and housing protections leave trans people financially insecure. While the Obama administration continues to argue that federal sex discrimination protections also cover trans people, it is true that there are no explicit federal protections and over 30 states still leave trans people vulnerable to discrimination in housing, employment and public accommodations. More than just that, states like Arkansas, Florida and Tennessee have moved or are moving to ensure that trans people cannot be protected by municipalities without the state first acting to do the same. Not only does this compound the discrimination trans people suffer, it reinforces that transphobic business practices are acceptable.

I don’t think this comes as a surprise to any of us in the trans community; we see it all around us every day, but it is nice to see that it is being discussed.