Injustice at Every Turn
The Huffington Post
By Mara Keisling
Posted: February 4, 2011 05:01 PM
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mara-keisling/post_1685_b_818961.html (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mara-keisling/post_1685_b_818961.html)
Transgender people are confronted at every turn with discrimination -- in school, at work, on the streets, in the doctor's office, in the line for public assistance, in the restroom, in the boardroom, and many more places. Even in their own homes. It is exhausting, it is frightening, and it is, for far too many people, almost continuous.
When we analyze the data in this survey, we can see very concretely the ways in which those who have experienced that discrimination fare far worse than those who have not. Those who are bullied and harassed in school, especially those whose teachers are the perpetrators of violence, have a much higher rate (76%) of attempting suicide. Those who lose their jobs because of bias are much more likely (70%) to misuse drugs or alcohol to help cope with their experiences. I could give example after example. It seems somehow grossly inappropriate that we even need to prove that discrimination is bad for people -- devastatingly bad -- but if we need to do so, surely the proof is here.