Income? What Income? Transgender Community and Income Disparity by Elizabeth Gruenes

            Let's talk about people who are transgendered and the effect that income disparity has on this community. First it is important to note that I will be referring to anyone who is not transgendered as cisgendered, meaning that they identify with the gender they were assigned at birth. This is to lessen the othering that tends to happen when talking about any minority group. The prefix cis- also acknowledges the fact that while I might identify with my assigned gender and another woman may not, we are still both females and can have equal claim over that gender.

            Now, in only 18 states plus Washington D.C. do laws exist to protect people from being fired for being transgender. That means in 32 states, it is perfectly legal to fire or not hire someone who is transgender for no other reason than that they are trans. In fact, the unemployment rate for people who are transgendered (14%) is twice as high as the national average (7%).

            Let me just restate that. In thirty two states, it is legal to deny someone employment because they do not identify with the gender they were assigned at birth. If you still haven't quite gotten it, imagine deciding to dye your hair (as many women and men do) because you don't like your natural hair color and going to work the next day only to leave with a box of all your belongings because you changed your hair.

            Obviously this metaphor isn't perfect. The decision to transition for people who are trans is often a life or death decision. For them, they do not have a choice. This means that they can either transition and finally be happy with their body and themselves and be afraid to lose their job, or they can try to fit into the wrong mold that they were dealt and commit suicide.

            It sounds ridiculous to people who don't actively experience gender dysphoria, the change or die mentality, but for people in this situation, not changing is like lying to everyone around them and themselves everyday of their lives. People live in constant fear of backlash from peers and coworkers.

            As recently as 2011 in the largest study ever done with transgendered people, 47% said they have faced discrimination in the work place related to hiring, promotion, and job retention, and 78% said that they have faced at least one form of harassment in the work place related to their gender identities.

            Because jobs can be difficult to find for people who identify under the transgender umbrella, it means that they tend to live in a poorer quality of life than their cisgender counterparts. In fact, a transgendered person is almost four times as likely to live in poverty as a cisgender person. The statistics equal to roughly 15% of transgendered households bringing in less than $10,000 a year where as only roughly 4% of cisgender households are making less than $10,000 a year.

            In that same study, it was reported that 41% of respondents have attempted suicide a staggering statistic especially considering only 1.6% of the general population has attempted suicide. This staggering number comes from the high prevalence of sexual/physical assault, bullying, work place harassment, and low income that hits this community.

            In this situation, being able to pass as the correct gender for a transgender person is crucial, and while some do not need gender reassignment surgery to pass, others do, and most insurances do not cover reassignment surgeries. So somehow they need to come up with the money themselves from a job that might not keep them employed.

            The burden of transitioning is so great that it lead to 15% of college age students to leave school because of financial difficulties related to transitioning, it also lead to 11% leaving school do to loss of scholarships and financial aid specifically because of the transition.

            Because of the financial burden caused by transitioning, there are websites out there for transmen to get them binders that are safe to use at reduced or free rates. These websites are most often run by other transgendered men who know how difficult and expensive safe binders can be to get. The binders provided are most often provided by priority, so men in unsafe situations can get one as quick as possible in order to stay safe.

            Overall, people who are transgendered are four times as likely as the general population to experience homelessness. This comes from the high rate of unemployment and families rejecting adolescents who come out and kicking them out of the house. For those who still have access to the internet, there are networks available for those adolescents to ask for couches to sleep on while they find a more permanent option.

            It is also important to note that these statistics offered represent the white part of the community. Any statistics found are across the board far worse for people who are both transgender and of colour.

            Currently, a group called the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) is working to pass a bill called the Employment Non-Discrimination Act otherwise known as ENDA through the senate and house of representatives.

            The bill will work to end work place discrimination by making it illegal to fire someone based on their gender or sexual orientation. Not only will this bill end this discrimination in the work place, but it will also end it in housing accommodations, public accommodations, education, and credit.

            The bill has been in the works for quite some time and this is not the first time it has been presented to congress, however it is the first time that it has gotten as far as it has. It's not in the clear by any means. It needs support and backing from all sides.

            If a person is looking for ways to support the transcommunity, supporting this bill is a great start. You can also donate to websites providing free and reduced chest binders to transmen in need of them. Another way to support the community is to offer your couch to someone who needs to crash because their parents kicked them out.

            The transgender community faces much discrimination especially in the form of income disparity. It is important to stand beside our brothers and sisters and support as best we can. One of the best things that a cisgendered person can do is to speak out to other cisgendered people about the discrimination that happens to transgender people and speak and work towards ways to fix it. It is our job to educate ourselves and work to lessen the privilege that we have.

Helpful Websites:

A Website of Websites for Binders for FTM:

http://tumblr.transguys.com/post/33859957893/free-cheap-ftm-binders

One of Many Transnetworks Helping to Keep Adolescents Off the Streets

http://www.transhousingnetwork.com/

Sources Used in This Blog Post

http://williamsinstitute.law.ucla.edu/wp-content/uploads/Sears-Mallory-Discrimination-July-20111.pdf

http://endtransdiscrimination.org/PDFs/NTDS_Report.pdf

http://www.hrc.org/resources/entry/transgender-faq#10

http://www.hrc.org/blog/entry/why-hrc-supports-a-comprehensive-lgbt-civil-rights-bill

https://www.americanprogress.org/issues/lgbt/news/2012/04/16/11494/the-gay-and-transgender-wage-gap/