Why Transgender Individuals are Fighting for Their Lives Everyday

 According to a study done by the Williams Institute at UCLA School of Law, “81% of transgender adults

in the U.S. have thought about suicide, 42% of transgender adults have attempted it, and 56% have

engaged in non-suicidal self-injury over their lifetimes.” Hearing these statistics has made me take a huge step back and truly consider the mental health of LGBT people. Having my brother in my life, I can't imagine a world without him. Knowing what he has endured and how much it has affected him, I am incredibly grateful that he is still here with us, surrounded by family and loved ones. This leads me to my point that transgender individuals are much more likely

to experience poor mental health in their lifetimes and that is profoundly impacted by homelessness,

discrimination, and lack of access to affirming care. This highlights the urgent need for targeted mental

health support that addresses these unique stressors and promotes a better emotional well-being, and

social inclusion for the transgender community.

A pressing concern that has been talked about for the last couple years is how the LGBTQ+ community is disproportionately being affected by homelessness, especially transgender people, who face widespread discrimination. It is found in their everyday lives by people who you would never expect, and sometimes those people you would never expect is your own family. Over half of queer youth fears that they will be kicked out of their home after coming out to family and being from a religious home and even more fear inducing because of their beliefs. “Nearly one in four LGBTQIA+ young people who are kicked out feel they need to enter unwanted relationships to find a place to stay” according to the Single Homeless Project. Another factor of transgender individuals being homeless is the discrimination they get from their workplace. They are more likely to be denied a job or to be fired from a job once the employer finds out that they are transgender. This leads to them having no job and not being able to pay for rent or a mortgage. Additionally, landlords are more likely to charge higher rates of rent to transgender individuals, or neglect to address repair requests and maintenance issues in their homes. This lack of support contributes to increased homelessness rates among transgender people, which are significantly higher compared to other groups.

Despite there trying to be progress made in many different areas of society, transgender people still continue to experience widespread discrimination in nearly every aspect of their lives. From going to the grocery store, or to buying a car or house, people are going to look at them very differently than the average person walking around. Going back to discrimination in the workplace, transgender people are very likely to either be fired from a job or rejected from a job. I know this personally because my brother has had both of these things happen to him when he was in the process of looking for a job, or when he is already in a job and has been there for weeks. Unfortunately, Issak has worked in Carpentry the last 8 years of his life, and the people that tend to work in that kind of setting are often all alike; very close minded, and conservative when it comes to anybody in the LGBTQ+ community. “Despite the Supreme Court’s decision to extend federal protections to LGBTQ+ employees in 2020, along with the Equality Act by the House of Representatives in 2021, recent data reveals that 17 out of 50 states still maintain laws and policies that discriminate against transgender and gender non-conforming (TGNC) individuals in the workplace.” (Melanie Brewster and Brandon Velez) I was shocked to learn that, even in 2024, these discriminatory laws still exist, making transgender individuals feel marginalized and dehumanized.

Another significant barrier transgender individuals face is the lack of access to gender-affirming care, which is crucial for their well-being and mental health. Most people don’t even know what gender affirming care is, but it is the surgical procedure that alters a person’s physical appearance and sexual characteristics to resemble the look of the gender that they identify with. These procedures can include facial reconstruction, or a top or bottom surgery. Not all gender affirming care is just a surgical process though, it can also include hormone therapy or puberty blockers that will just delay the process of masculine or feminine characteristics. The individuals that undergo these procedures have reported to a much more suitable life and are very happy with the results. Letting individuals go through these surgeries allows them to physically feel like who they want to be. There are many studies that show that once undergone, it has reduced stress, anxiety and suicidal ideations and overall giving these individuals a better quality of life and happiness.

With this recent presidential election, all of the LGBTQ+ community is going to be affected greatly especially with Trump being in office. One of the biggest policies talked about within the Queer community is gender affirming surgery being banned to all adolescents and allowing hospitals to deny any type of Medicare or Medicaid to any individual that wishes to go through with the surgery. Many people argue that this policy is a good thing. They don’t want minors to be making these life changing decisions because they may be “too young” and they don’t know all of the full aspects of it. What those people don’t know though is that this surgery is considered lifesaving to transgender minors. Most minors that are going through gender euphoria are experiencing severe depression and anxiety, and when going through these surgeries they find it easier to navigate through the world and feel more confident in themselves. What people also don’t know is that these surgeries are almost never performed on adolescents under the age of 12 before puberty even hits. Some information that I found from the Harvard School of Public Health who did a study on this topic has found that, “no gender-affirming surgeries performed on TGD youth ages 12 and younger in 2019. This was expected, the researchers said, as current international guidelines do not suggest any medical or surgical intervention for TGD individuals prior to puberty. For teens ages 15 to 17 and adults ages 18 and older, the rate of undergoing gender-affirming surgery with a TGD-related diagnosis was 2.1 per 100,000 and 5.3 per 100,000, respectively.” This just goes to show that not many adolescents are even going through with the surgery at that young of an age, and that the reason they want it banned is due to discrimination against the LGBT community and deep-rooted homophobia. 

 Transgender individuals continue to face numerous challenges, from widespread discrimination to significant barriers in accessing gender-affirming care. These obstacles not only affect their physical and mental well-being but also hinder their ability to live authentically and safely. It is crucial for society to recognize and address these inequities, ensuring that transgender people have the support, resources, and rights they deserve to lead fulfilling and dignified lives.