How many transitioners are there? Is it commonplace?

[saraht123]

I've got into a mindset where transitioning seems not such a big deal and I feel that trans people are everywhere and increasingly accepted.

Then, I realised that up until a few years ago, many transitioners were still making headlines in the UK tabloid press (against their wishes). Headlines such as "school teacher in sex swap shocker" seemed common. Ok I think I'm making that up, but you get the idea.

Also, the whole Caitlyn Jenner story has been a bit of a media frenzy, as if no high profile person has ever transitioned before. People still seem shocked, or at least intrigued.

So I'm wondering if we're still breaking new ground. Is each transitioner doing something revolutionary?

I am not aware of anyone transitioning in the company I work for (which is thousands of people). And normally, that sort of gossip would spread like wildfire.

I never even met face to face with another trans person (that I know of) until I started trying to seek out people like me. I hardly ever see another trans person where I live (I accept that a small percentage would be undetectably trans).

So, how scarce are we? What percentage of the world population transition? Are we all trailblazers or is trans so normal now that everyone and their grandma is transitioning?

Nothing is going to change my intent to transition, but it would be good to get people's perspective on this.

[Dena]

The standard response is we are about 1 in 600 births. Not all of us will transition and some will pick an alternate life style where we can find enough comfort  to survive. In the United States, the estimated number of us is about 700,000. This web site has an official membership number of almost 20,000 register users. For every registered user, there seems to be 5 or 6 people looking over our shoulder all the time. These numbers are staggering to me because when I transitioned in the early 80's we figure our numbers at about 60,000. I know that's not really answering your question but we are pretty rare in the population and I suspect you might have to know several thousand people to meet another one of us.

[stephaniec]

I think we're kind of a rare species given the total world population. I wouldn't want to depend on a ride from only a transgender if I was hitch hiking to California from Chicago in the middle of winter.

[Marlee]

\

So I'm wondering if we're still breaking new ground. Is each transitioner doing something revolutionary?

I am not aware of anyone transitioning in the company I work for (which is thousands of people). And normally, that sort of gossip would spread like wildfire.

I never even met face to face with another trans person (that I know of) until I started trying to seek out people like me. I hardly ever see another trans person where I live (I accept that a small percentage would be undetectably trans).

So, how scarce are we? What percentage of the world population transition? Are we all trailblazers or is trans so normal now that everyone and their grandma is transitioning?

Nothing is going to change my intent to transition, but it would be good to get people's perspective on this.

I work for a large university. So I hope any knowledge of my transition doesn't spread like wildfile LOL..but it may to a degree. As far as identifying.. I occasionally see someone who I think could be trans. But it quickly fades since such isn't something that matters a lot to me about who person is (except that if i were sure, I'd want give a word of support)

[MeghanMe]

Where you are probably has a lot to do with it. I'm in Seattle, and aside from myself (not yet on hormones, but endo appointment date set) I know at least four transwomen in various stages of transition. I know through friends of at least two more. I know two trans teenagers (one MTF, one FTM). And then we get to the two who dealing with some amount of dysphoria without actually making a transition. So that's what, ten? Eleven if you count me. And those are just the ones who are out enough to get on my radar!

Some days it almost seems like it's cool to be trans.

[saraht123]

Thanks, Dena. That's sort of what I was guessing. I was kind of hoping there were more of us and this whole thing was as common as going to the shops to get a pint of milk. Obviously, that was a stupid idea.

As far as I can remember, this whole trans thing started for me around 1984ish when I was 6. I am slightly in awe of anyone who transitioned back then or even earlier. It still seems scary now, even with the internet, increased awareness and everything.

Marlee, I promise I haven't heard anything through the grapevine about your transition until you mentioned it. But since you told me now, I want to say Congrats! It is rare for me also to see another of us and most the people I see who I think might be trans probably aren't. Plus , when I said wildfire, I mean I just maybe happen to work at a really , really gossipy company. So when I transition, I know how it's going to be. Yikes.

Stephie, I was trying to work out the figures. My electrologist is the only one in my county (1.5 million people) who is registered to treat trans people. She has 8 trans clients. My local trans meet up had about 30 people in a town with a population of 250,000. I'm a bit sad there aren't more of us.

Pogo, Seattle is quite a big city, no? So we really are like hens teeth.

Ok. To sum up, I'm a bit shocked. I guess I am still getting to grips that not everyone on the planet feels the same way I do. I'm also feeling quite a bit of pride for everyone who has transitioned or is going to, when we're such a small minority of the global population.

[Ms Grace]

Depends on where you are living, some cities are more likely to have a higher percentage due to social tolerance, good treatment modalities, legal structures, etc.

Sydney and Adelaide seem to have a higher ratio than some other parts of Australia.

I worked with a trans woman in her late (?) fifties at my previous job. At that stage she hadn't transitioned and was not out as trans, and here was me - a detransitioned trans woman, not out as trans - and neither of us realised the other was trans. Then she transitioned about two years after leaving that job.

So yeah, you can never know. But there you have two untransitioned trans women at the same workplace.

[Stevie]

 One of my sons is in their mid 20's and FTM, I am a 56 year old MTF I started transitioning  openly a few years ago and have been full time about a year now. I don't think it is very common to be trans let alone in the same family.

[suzifrommd]

I work in a school with about 1500 students. There always seems to be two or three trans kids (though most of them don't transition while they're in school). So I can't imagine it is less than 1 in 500. That would mean in the U.S., there would be 600,000, so the 700K figure doesn't seem far off.

[stephaniec]

I was sitting in a Subway sandwich shop today and there was this woman there that triggered my transdar. I'm not 100% sure , but as she was leaving she gave me a once over, so her transdar might of be triggered too. So we're out there.

[iKate]

Among my friends who aren't from this site I know five women of transgender experience. And that's not to say I go specifically looking for trans people to be friends with because I don't. (I am friends with anyone who treats me with respect.)

Recently a friend of mine who I lost touch with reconnected with me and I found out that two of his 3 kids are trans.

So yes we are out there,

[JoanneB]

How many transitioners are there?  I think it depends on your definition

For the older crowd, transitioning was something totally verbotten, Hence the birth of "Deep Stealth". For us latter transtioners, stealth is just a pipe dream, it requires being "Public" one way or another. Most no where near as news worthy as Kaitlyn Jenner. We do our best to blend in with little fan fare. After all... the goal is and has always been, to be  a "normal' woman.

In this modern era with gender lines totally blurred.... 

[sparrow]

I'm in Seattle, and aside from myself (not yet on hormones, but endo appointment date set) I know at least four transwomen in various stages of transition.

Honey, you live in Seattle.  Go to the Ingersoll Center on a wednesday night, and you'll meet dozens of transgendered people!  If job stuff doesn't work out up in Canada, I'm moving back to Seattle just for the trans community.  Sadly the situation in Seattle is very special, and not representative of the rest of the country.

[warlockmaker]

In my city in Asia our public records record around 100 people that have changed their gender since time started. Its indeed a rare to see them here. We are probably one of the most conservative global financial centers in the world.  Who knows how many are in denial or in the closet in my home city ...So my other home is Thailand, where it is the extreme opposite, and TG are everywhere and a common sight.

[MeghanMe]

Honey, you live in Seattle.  Go to the Ingersoll Center on a wednesday night, and you'll meet dozens of transgendered people!  If job stuff doesn't work out up in Canada, I'm moving back to Seattle just for the trans community.  Sadly the situation in Seattle is very special, and not representative of the rest of the country.

It is definitely special here! Thanks for the mention of the Ingersoll Center. I hadn't heard of that yet.

[Emjay]

One of my sons is in their mid 20's and FTM, I am a 56 year old MTF I started transitioning  openly a few years ago and have been full time about a year now. I don't think it is very common to be trans let alone in the same family.

Heh, imagine my surprise as I read your post:  My son also has transitioned so there are at least two families out there with two trans people that we know of.   I really was thinking we were the only ones up until just now!

That being said, I do believe we're very very rare in this world but we are here.

[JLT1]

Without a definition, and with no one counting, everyone is guessing.  No one really knows. There was an old study out of England that put it at 1 in 2000.  There is a newer study out of London that put it at 1 in 500. 

US figures run 1 in 1000 to 1 in 2000.  However, it's a blind guess.

There are 12000 people working at the Headquarters and R&D center where I work.  There are three trans women.  One say she knows of two others.  I know of a couple at manufacturing sites but that's off campus. 

Defining them as MTF or FTM, 1 in 2000 is reasonable.  Add inersexed and 1 in 500 is probably a little low.  Add in all the others under the transgender umbrella and 1 in 100 seems reasonable.  But it's all guesses.

Jen

[Rachel]

There are 14,000 employees where I work. It is a large university hospital in Philadelphia PA. There are 14 trans  employees identified to HR. 2 fully transitioned and  an a third in transition.

HR just hired a person in the diversity part of HR that had experience as a transition team leader ( I see her Friday). We have safe zone training and all of leadership must go through the training. The CEO is the head of diversity and the COO is gay and presenting a part of the safe zone training.

[sparrow]

Heh, imagine my surprise as I read your post:  My son also has transitioned so there are at least two families out there with two trans people that we know of.   I really was thinking we were the only ones up until just now!

I suspect that queerness does "run in families," irrespective of a genetic disposition.  For instance, almost every person I've met who was raised by a homosexual^* couple has been at least open to the idea of homosexuality or bisexuality in themselves, and the idea that heterosexuality is "rebellious" is fairly common.  I'd guess that the child of a transgendered parent will be aware of the possibility of transgenderness as an option, be quicker to accept it in themselves, and feel safer expressing it.

On the flipside, I suspect that a large proportion of transgendered individuals live their lives in denial, possibly unaware of their own gender, because of how they were raised.  'cause that's what I went through, and it took me 34 years to figure it out.

^* Loathe as I am to juxtapose gender and sexuality like this, deviation from "normal" is the common element here.  Kids raised in an accepting household are more prone to expressing unique personality traits.

[Emjay]

I suspect that queerness does "run in families," irrespective of a genetic disposition.  For instance, almost every person I've met who was raised by a homosexual^* couple has been at least open to the idea of homosexuality or bisexuality in themselves, and the idea that heterosexuality is "rebellious" is fairly common.  I'd guess that the child of a transgendered parent will be aware of the possibility of transgenderness as an option, be quicker to accept it in themselves, and feel safer expressing it.

On the flipside, I suspect that a large proportion of transgendered individuals live their lives in denial, possibly unaware of their own gender, because of how they were raised.  'cause that's what I went through, and it took me 34 years to figure it out.

^* Loathe as I am to juxtapose gender and sexuality like this, deviation from "normal" is the common element here.  Kids raised in an accepting household are more prone to expressing unique personality traits.

In my own situation, he had no idea about me until after coming out himself.   I was, or at least thought I was, very careful to keep myself hidden from everyone.   At the very least I wasn't open about it until later.   I had always raised him to be accepting of everyone so there is that. ..

I understand what you're saying though, about kids raised in accepting homes being more prone to expressing personality traits.   But the traits have to be there on their own already in order to be expressed.

I know when he came out I did quite a bit of searching for any kind of hereditary traits like this being passed on and had zero luck finding anything.   That's been a few years ago now, idk if there is any info now or not.