injustice at every turn - national lgbtq task force...survey as black ionly or black and...
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• 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
nsge
nder
Gener
al Blac
k
Tran
sgen
der,
all ra
ces
Gener
al U.S
. pop
ulatio
n
20.23%
25%
15%
5%
20%
10%
0
2.64% 2.40%
0.60%
HIV Rates
35% of Black respondents had been arrested or held in a cell due to bias.
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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.
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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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TheNationalTransgenderDiscriminationSurveywasdevelopedandfieldedbytheNationalGayandLesbianTaskForceandtheNationalCenterforTransgenderEquality.LinkstotheonlineNTDSsurveyinstrumentweredistributedthroughanetworkofmorethan900trans-servingandtrans-ledadvocacyandserviceorganizations,supportgroups,list-
servesandonlinesocialnetworks.Nearly2,000papersurveysweredistributedtohard-to-reachtransgenderandgendernon-conformingpopulations.Atotalof6,456completedquestionnaireswereincludedinthefinaldataset,381ofwhichwereBlack,includingmultiracialpeople.