According to the largest transgender survey ever conducted in the Untied States, which was released on Wednesday, shows that the majority of residents who identify as transgender feel unsupported and often in danger
One of the most saddening results was that 79% of transgender residents in Michigan said that they have experienced some form of mistreatment ranging from verbal harassment to physical or sexual assault between kindergarten and 12th grade.
22-year-old Alexandria Gibson does not need a survey to let her know that the transgender community suffers discrimination.
Gibson said that she has been physically assaulted so many times for being transgender that she had lost the count. She was once hospitalized for a sexual assault. Gibson said that she has been denied numerous jobs and is at present homeless. She feels abandoned by much of her family.
−19 percent of transgender people in Michigan are unemployed, which is more than triple the national unemployment rate of 5 percent.
−30 percent of transgender people in Michigan are living in poverty, more than double the 14 percent national poverty rate.
−43 percent of transgender people in Michigan reported serious psychological distress, compared to 5 percent of the national transgender population.
−16 percent of transgender people in Michigan own a home, compared to 63 percent nationwide.
−81 percent said none of their personal identification had the name and gender they preferred.
−61 percent avoided using a public restroom in the past year because they were afraid of confrontations or other problems they might experience.
−55 percent said they would feel uncomfortable asking the police for help if they needed it.
−38 percent who saw a health care provider in the past year reported having at least one negative experience related to being transgender.
The negative experiences ranged from refusal of treatment to sexual assault.
−36 percent limited the amount they ate or drank to avoid using the restroom.
−35 percent who experienced homelessness in the past year avoided staying in a shelter because they feared being mistreated.
−34 percent experienced homelessness at some point in their lives.
−30 percent were living in poverty.
−27 percent who held or applied for a job in 2015 reported being fired, denied a promotion or not being hired for a job they applied for due to gender identity or expression.
−26 percent experienced housing discrimination in the past year, including eviction or denial of a home or apartment.
“None of these numbers shocks me,” said 30-year-old Bre Campbell, a transgender-rights advocate and grassroots organizer.
Michigan’s Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act does not provide protection to the LGBT people. The legislation passed in 1976 prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, sex, height, weight, family status and marital status.
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