The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force ( NGLTF ) and the National Center for Transgender Equality ( NCTE ) sponsored a Capitol Hill briefing May 16 on key findings from the the organizations' groundbreaking new report,"Injustice at Every Turn: A Report of the National Transgender Discrimination Survey," according to a press release. The briefing was held on behalf of the Congressional LGBT Equality Caucus.
The study is the largest ever done on the prevalence of discrimination against transgender people. NGLTF and NCTE staff shared some of the findings of the report, including:
Respondents reported high rates of harassment and discrimination while in grades K-12: harassment ( 78 percent ) , physical assault ( 35 percent ) and sexual assault ( 12 percent ) ; 51 percent of those who were verbally harassed, physically or sexually assaulted, or were expelled because they were transgender or gender non-conforming, reported having attempted suicide.
Regarding direct housing discrimination, 19 percent reported having been refused a home or apartment and 11 percent reported being evicted because of their gender identity/expression.
Concerning employment, survey respondents experienced unemployment at twice the rate of the general population at the time of the survey, with rates for people of color up to four times the national unemployment rate.
Regarding harassment, mistreatment or discrimination, 90 percent of those surveyed reported experiencing harassment, mistreatment or discrimination on the job or took actions like hiding who they are to avoid it.
Speakers at the briefing were Mara Keisling, NCTE executive director; Stacey Long, federal legislative director of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force; Lisa Mottet, Transgender Civil Rights Project director at the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force; Jack Harrison, policy analyst, National Gay and Lesbian Task Force; and Owen Smith, a Maryland resident who experienced housing and employment discrimination on the basis of his gender identity.
NGLTF and Center on Halsted will hold a reception and presentation of "Injustice at Every Turn," the first national survey of the transgender community.
The event will take place Wed., May 25, 6:30-8:30 p.m, with a pre-reception with food and drinks at 6 p.m. RSVP at www.thetaskforce.org/chicago.