“According to recent studies, the vast majority of trans people are happier with their lives now that they have transitioned.
One of the largest studies ever carried out, the National Center for Transgender Equality’s (NCTE) 2022 US Transgender Survey, was released on Wednesday, February 8th. It gathered data from 92,329 trans people from all 50 states, as well as overseas territories and dependencies, and military personnel serving outside the country.
When asked questions about healthcare, family, education, gender identity, and transition, it was discovered that almost all respondents (94%) who said they had ‘at least some of the time lived in a different gender than the one they were assigned at birth’ were either ‘a lot more satisfied’ (79%) or ‘a little more content’ (15%) with life.
Meanwhile, 98% of respondents said that receiving hormone therapy increased their level of satisfaction by ‘a lot’ (84%) or ‘just a little more’ (14%).
Family support was also very common, with about two-thirds of transgender individuals stating that their loved ones were either ‘supportive’ or ‘highly supportive’ of their trans identity. Only 8% of respondents said their immediate families weren’t supportive, and only 4% said they were ‘very unsupportive.’
The survey also revealed the real-world effects of transphobia in the US, but 47% of respondents said they were thinking about moving to another state because their state’s government was considering passing—or had already passed—laws that targeted transgender people for unfair treatment, such as restricting access to public restrooms, healthcare, and sports. In order to avoid these regulations, 5% of those who responded had already moved.
Alabama, Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Missouri, North Carolina, Ohio, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia were the top 10 states that interviewees left behind.
In addition, only 8% of respondents said they would feel ‘very comfortable’ asking the police for assistance if they needed it, while 47% said it would ‘feel very uncomfortable.’ If the problem was about their transgender identity, the percentage of respondents who said they were ‘very nervous’ or ‘somewhat uneasy’ increased to 62%.
The study’s co-authors believe it can be used to enhance support for trans people.
Sandy E. James, co-principal analyst and lead researcher, said: ‘It’s powerful to see so many trans people report life satisfaction when they live in accordance with their gender identity and receive the health care they need, but we also see that trans people face significant barriers to living full, good, and true lives.’
These results ‘fill a critical gap in our knowledge and function as a crucial resource for understanding and addressing the needs of transgender people,’ according to the most comprehensive source of data about them in the US.
Additionally, NCTE executive producer Rodrigo Heng-Lehtinen stated, ‘Everyone deserves to be treated with respect and fairness. We need legislation at the federal and state levels to ensure that everyone, including transgender people, is treated fairly.’
No one should ever experience prejudice based solely on their identity in employment, housing, healthcare, education, or various spheres of life.”
