Over 80% of trans workers have experienced discrimination or harassment, report finds
The majority of transgender employees, 82%, reported experiencing workplace discrimination or harassment because of their gender identity or sexual orientation at some point in their lives, according to a new survey.
The majority of transgender employees, 82%, reported experiencing workplace discrimination or harassment because of their gender identity or sexual orientation at some point in their lives, according to a new survey.
The survey, conducted by the Williams Institute at the UCLA School of Law, an LGBTQ research think tank, defined “discrimination and harassment” as being fired, not hired, not promoted, or verbally, sexually or physically harassed. Trans employees were more likely to report such experiences than cisgender lesbian, gay, bisexual and queer employees, at 45%, and nonbinary employees, at 59%.
“Transgender people are a particularly vulnerable and marginalized group in the workplace,” Brad Sears, lead author of the report and founding executive director at the Williams Institute, said in a statement. “Many are not bringing their full selves to work and face unsupportive workplace environments, which makes them less likely to fully invest in their current employer and job.”
Previous research from the Williams Institute has estimated that there are about 1.3 million trans adults in the U.S. The new report surveyed 1,902 LGBTQ adults in the workforce, including 86 trans adults, in the summer of 2023, and compared the experiences of trans adults to their cisgender lesbian, gay, bisexual and queer peers.
Half of the trans adults surveyed were people of color and 6 in 10 were making less than $50,000 a year. Of the trans respondents who reported having experienced workplace discrimination or harassment at some point in their lives, 65% reported experiencing verbal harassment, 34% reported experiencing physical harassment and 42% reported experiencing sexual harassment.
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