injustice at every turn - national lgbtq task force...survey as black ionly or black and...

• DiscriminationwaspervasiveforallrespondentswhotooktheNationalTransgenderDiscriminationSurvey,yetthecombinationofanti-transgenderbiasandpersistentstructuralandinterpersonalactsofracismwasespeciallydevastatingforBlacktransgenderpeopleandotherpeopleofcolor.

• Blacktransgenderandgendernon-conformingpeopleoftenliveinextremepoverty,with34%reportingahouseholdincomeoflessthan$10,000/year.Thisisovertwicetheratefortransgenderpeopleofallraces(15%)andfourtimesthegeneralBlackpopulationrate(9%).ThisisovereighttimesthegeneralU.S.populationrate(4%).ii

• Blacktransgenderandgendernon-conformingpeopleareaffectedbyHIVindevastatingnumbers.Overone-fifthofBlackrespondentsreportedbeingHIVpositive(20.23%)andanadditional10%reportedthattheydidnotknowtheirstatus.Thiscomparestoratesof2.64%fortransgenderrespondentsofallraces,2.4%forthegeneralBlackpopulation,and0.60%forthegeneralU.S.population.iii

• Almosthalf(49%)ofBlackrespondentsreportedhavingattemptedsuicide,comparedto41%ofallstudyrespondentsand1.6%ofthegeneralU.S.population.iv

• Blacktransgenderpeoplewhowereouttotheirfamiliesfoundacceptanceatahigherratethantheoverallsampleoftransgenderrespondents.Thoserespondentswhowereacceptedbytheirfamiliesweremuchlesslikelytofacediscrimination.

• Overhalf(55%)ofBlackrespondentssaidtheirfamilywasasstrongtodayasbeforetheycameout.Thisleveloffamilyacceptancewashigherthanforanyotherracialgroupinthestudy.Familyacceptancecorrelatedwithlowerratesofnegativeoutcomessuchassuicide,homelessness,andbecomingHIVpositive.

Injustice at Every Turn:AlookatBlackrespondentsintheNationalTransgenderDiscriminationSurvey

Key FindingsIn2008,theNationalCenterforTransgenderEquality(NCTE)andtheNationalGayandLesbianTask

Forcelaunchedanationwidestudyofanti-transgenderdiscriminationintheUnitedStates.Overasix-monthperiod,6,456transgenderandgendernon-conformingpeopleansweredaseventy-questionsurvey,reportingontheirexperiencesofdiscriminationandabuseathome,inschool,inthepublicsphere,andintheworkplace,aswellaswithlandlords,doctors,andpublicofficials,includingjudgesandpolice.Thesurveyresultsrevealedthattransgenderandgendernon-conformingpeoplefacepervasivediscriminationinvirtuallyallaspectsoftheirlives.

Oneofthemostimportantfindingsofthestudywasthatthecombinationofanti-transgenderbiaswithstructuralandinterpersonalracismmeantthattransgenderandgendernon-conformingpeopleofcolor,includingthosewhoareBlack,experienceparticularlydevastatinglevelsofdiscrimination.Inresponse,theNationalBlackJusticeCoalition(NBJC)haspartneredwiththeNationalCenterforTransgenderEquality(NCTE)andtheNationalGayandLesbianTaskForcetoofferthisreportondiscriminationagainstBlacktransgenderandgendernon-conformingpeople.

Theinformationinthisreportisbasedontheexperiencesofthe381respondentswhodescribedthemselvesonthesurveyasBlackonlyorBlackandmultiracial.iWhenthisreportusesthephrase“duetobias,”itreferstoquestionsonthesurveythataskedaboutrespondents’experiencesofanti-transgenderbias,buttheresultsalsoshowthecomplexinteractionsofthatbiaswithraceandsocioeconomicstatus.

by jack harrison-quintana & sharon lettman-hicks with jaime grant

school.Sixpercent(6%)werealsoexpelled due to bias.

Respondentswhowereharassedandabusedbyteachersinkindergartenthroughtwelfthgradesettingsshoweddramatically worse health and other outcomescomparedtothosewhodidnotexperiencesuchabuse.Peer harassment and abuse also had highly damaging effects.

Blackrespondentswhoattendedkindergartenthroughtwelfthgradeexpressingatransgenderidentityorgendernon-conformityreportedalarmingratesofharassment(49%),physical assault(27%),andsexual assault(15%)at school;harassmentwassoseverethatitled21%toleave

Blacktransgenderandgendernon-conformingpeoplehadanextremely high unemployment rateat26%.Thisishigherthantherateoftheoverallsample(14%)andoverthreetimestherateofthegeneralpopulation(7%)atthetimethesurveywasfielded.v

Thirty-twopercent(32%)ofBlackrespondentslost a job due to bias,and48%weredenied a jobbecauseoftheirtransgenderidentityorgendernon-conformity.

Blacktransgenderandgendernon-conformingpeopleenduredvariousformsofdirecthousingdiscrimination;38%reportedbeingrefused a home or apartment due to bias,and31%reportedbeingevicted due to bias.

Blackrespondentsweremuch less likely to own homes thanthegeneralpopulationwitharateof14%.Thiscomparesto32%oftransgenderpeopleofallracesinthestudyand67%ofthegeneralU.S.population.viAlso,forcomparison,theU.S.DepartmentofHousingandUrbanDevelopmentreportsthat“minorityhomeownership”nationwideis49.7%.vii

Forty-sixpercent(46%)ofBlackrespondentswereharassed,15%werephysically assaulted,and13%weresexually assaulted at work.

Half(50%)ofBlackrespondentsreportedbeingforcedtoparticipateintheundergroundeconomyforincome,includingsex work and drug sales.

Analarming41%ofBlackrespondentsreportedexperiencing homelessnessatsomepointintheirlives,overfivetimestherateofthegeneralU.S.population.viiiOfthosewhohadexperiencedhomelessness,manytriedtoaccesssheltersbutwereeitherdenied accessaltogether(40%)orexperiencedharassment(61%),physical assault(32%),orsexual assault(31%)attheshelter.

Education

Employment Discrimination

Housing Discrimination and Homelessness

Nearly half of Black people who attended school as transgender faced harassment.

41% of Black respondents experienced homelessness.

HealthoutcomesforBlacktransgenderandgendernon-conformingpeopleshowtheappalling effects of social and economic marginalization,includingmuch higher rates of being HIV positive, smoking, drug and alcohol use and suicide attemptscomparedtothegeneralpopulation.

Twenty-onepercent(21%)ofBlackrespondentsreportedbeingrefused medical care due to bias.

Thirty-fourpercent(34%)ofBlackrespondentsreportedpostponing care when they were sick or injured due to fear of discrimination.

Researchhasshownthatgenerally,AfricanAmericanshavemuchlowersuicideratesthanotherracialgroups.However,nearlyhalfofBlackrespondents(49%)reportedhavingattempted suicide,comparedto41%ofallstudyrespondentsand1.6%ofthegeneralU.S.population.ix

Blackrespondentswereaffected by HIV in devastating numbers.Overone-fifthreportedbeingHIVpositive(20.23%)andanadditional10%reportedthattheydid not know their status.ThiscomparestoratesofbeingHIVpositiveof2.64%fortransgenderrespondentsofallraces,2.4%forthegeneralBlackpopulation,and0.60%forthegeneralU.S.population.x

Thirty-eightpercent(38%)ofBlacktransgenderandgendernon-conformingpeoplewhohadinteractedwiththepolicereportedharassment,14%reportedphysical assault,and6%reportedsexual assault.

Thirty-fivepercent(35%)ofBlackrespondentshadbeenarrested or held in a cell due to biasatsomepointintheirlives.

Half(51%)reporteddiscomfort with seeking police assistance.

Physicalandsexualassaultinjailandprisonisaseriousproblem.Twenty-ninepercent(29%)ofBlackrespondentswhohadbeentojailorprisonreportedbeingphysically assaultedand32%reportedbeingsexually assaulted while in custody.

Health Care

Abuse by Police and in Prison

Black tra

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20.23%

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5%

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10%

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2.64% 2.40%

0.60%

HIV Rates

35% of Black respondents had been arrested or held in a cell due to bias.

1638RStreetNW,Suite300Washington,DC20009

(202)319-1552•info@nbjc.orgwww.nbjc.org

Methodology

SomenumbersinthisreportdifferslightlyfromotherreportsbasedontheNTDSdatabecausegenerallythosereportonlyonthosewhowereBlackandnotBlackmultiracialbecauseBlackmultiracialpeoplewereincludedintheseparatemultiracialcategory.Inthisreport,however,Black-onlyandBlackmultiracialrespondentswerecountedtogether.

U.S.CensusBureau,“CurrentPopulationSurvey,”AnnualSocialandEconomicSupplement(Washington,DC:GPO,2008).

UnitedNationsProgrammeonHIV/AIDS(UNAIDS)andWorldHealthOrganization(WHO),“2007AIDSEpidemicUpdate”(2007):http://data.unaids.org/pub/EPISlides/2007/2007_epiupdate_en.pdf;HenryJ.KaiserFamilyFoundation,“TheHIV-AIDSEpidemicintheUnitedStates”(2007):http://www.kff.org/hivaids/upload/3029-071.pdf.

“U.S.A.Suicide:2002OfficialFinalData,”preparedfortheAmericanAssociationofSuicidologybyJohnL.McIntosh,Ph.D.Officialdatasource:Kochanek,K.D.,Murphy,S.L.,Anderson,R.N.,&Scott,C.(2004).Deaths:Finaldatafor2002.NationalVitalStatisticsReports,53(5).Hyattsville,MD:NationalCenterforHealthStatisticsDHHSPublicationNo.(PHS)2005-1120.Populationfiguressource:tableI,p.108.oftheNationalCenterforHealthStatistics(Kochaneketal.,2004),seehttp://www.sprc.org/library/event_kit/2002datapgv1.pdf.

Sevenpercent(7%)wastheroundedweightedaverageunemploymentrateforthegeneralpopulationduringthesixmonthsthesurveywasinthefield,basedonwhichmonthquestionnaireswerecompleted.SeeseasonallyunadjustedmonthlyunemploymentratesforSeptember2008throughFebruary2009.U.S.DepartmentofLabor,BureauofLaborStatistics,“TheEmploymentSituation:September2008,”(2008):http://www.bls.gov/news.release/archives/empsit_10032008.htm.

i.

ii.

vi.

iii.

vii.

iv.

v.

viii.

ix.

x.

NotesU.S.DepartmentofHousingandUrbanDevelopment,“U.S.HousingMarketConditions,2ndQuarter,2009”(Washington,DC:GPO,2009):http://www.huduser.org/portal/periodicals/ushmc/summer09/nat_data.pdf.

U.S.DepartmentofHousingandUrbanDevelopment,“U.S.HousingMarketConditions,2ndQuarter,2009”(Washington,DC:GPO,2009):http://www.huduser.org/portal/periodicals/ushmc/summer09/nat_data.pdf.HUDdidnotdefine“minority”inthisreport.

UnitedStatesConferenceofMayors,“HungerandHomelessnessSurvey”(2006):48,http://usmayors.org/hungersurvey/2006/report06.pdf.

“U.S.A.Suicide:2002OfficialFinalData,”preparedfortheAmericanAssociationofSuicidologybyJohnL.McIntosh,Ph.D.Officialdatasource:Kochanek,K.D.,Murphy,S.L.,Anderson,R.N.,&Scott,C.(2004).Deaths:Finaldatafor2002.NationalVitalStatisticsReports,53(5).Hyattsville,MD:NationalCenterforHealthStatisticsDHHSPublicationNo.(PHS)2005-1120.Populationfiguressource:tableI,p.108.oftheNationalCenterforHealthStatistics(Kochaneketal.,2004),seehttp://www.sprc.org/library/event_kit/2002datapgv1.pdf.

UnitedNationsProgrammeonHIV/AIDS(UNAIDS)andWorldHealthOrganization(WHO),“2007AIDSEpidemicUpdate”(2007):http://data.unaids.org/pub/EPISlides/2007/2007_epiupdate_en.pdf;HenryJ.KaiserFamilyFoundation,“TheHIV-AIDSEpidemicintheUnitedStates”(2007):http://www.kff.org/hivaids/upload/3029-071.pdf.

For the full report and detailed recommendations, please visit our websites at www.TheTaskForce.org or www.TransEquality.org (see: http://www.thetaskforce.org/reports_and_research/ntds or

http://transequality.org/Resources/index.html). More information about the survey is available at www.EndTransDiscrimination.org.

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(202)903-0112•ncte@nctequality.orgwww.nctequality.org

1325MassachusettsAvenueNW,Suite600Washington,DC20005

(202)393-5177•info@TheTaskForce.orgwww.thetaskforce.org

TheNationalTransgenderDiscriminationSurveywasdevelopedandfieldedbytheNationalGayandLesbianTaskForceandtheNationalCenterforTransgenderEquality.LinkstotheonlineNTDSsurveyinstrumentweredistributedthroughanetworkofmorethan900trans-servingandtrans-ledadvocacyandserviceorganizations,supportgroups,list-

servesandonlinesocialnetworks.Nearly2,000papersurveysweredistributedtohard-to-reachtransgenderandgendernon-conformingpopulations.Atotalof6,456completedquestionnaireswereincludedinthefinaldataset,381ofwhichwereBlack,includingmultiracialpeople.