The State of Transgender California Report
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T H E S T A T E O F TRANSGENDER CALIFORNIA REPORT RESULTS FRom the 2008 CAlifORNIA TRANSGENDER ECONOMIC HEALTH SURVEY P R E PA R E D BY THE TRANSGENDER LAW CENTER The State of Transgender California: Results from the 2008 California Transgender Economic Health Survey The Transgender Law Center is grateful for the many researchers, writers, editors, and reviewers who worked on The State of Transgender California: Results from the 2008 CA Transgender Economic Health Survey. Jennifer Davis led the original survey design with input from Somjen Frazer, Lee Badgett, and Mara Keisling. Countless organizations and community members helped disseminate and collect the survey, including Ella, Bienestar, FTM International, LOTUS, TASC, and many others. Tanya Barretto at LFA Group, Eleanor Hartzell and Dr. Eli Bartle cleaned the data, which were analyzed by Eleanor Hartzell and Somjen Frazer at The Task Force (with assistance from Chloe Mirzayi and Stephen Wiseman). Eleanor led the writing effort with editing support from Karen Taylor, Leslie Minot and Dr. Bartle. Dr. Bartle also obtained human subjects approval and acted as a consultant for the project. Thanks, as well, to Christopher Daley, Cecilia Chung, and San Francisco’s Transgender Economic Empowerment Initiative for their inspiration and support. The survey and report were made possible by program support from the Women’s Foundation of CA; Tides Foundation’s State Equality Fund, a philanthropic partnership that includes the Evelyn and Walter Haas, Jr. Fund, the Gill Foundation, and anonymous donors; the Walter & Elise Haas Fund; and the Williams Institute. TLC is also grateful to those who have supported our economic empowerment and health work over the years, including the Horizons Foundation, Open Society Institute, Evelyn and Walter Haas, Jr. Fund, Liberty Hill Foundation, David Bohnett Foundation, San Francisco Human Services Agency, Gill Foundation, Kicking Assets Fund of the Tides Foundation, Small Change Foundation, Rainbow Endowment, California Wellness Foundation, and The California Endowment. Suggested Citation: Hartzell, E., Frazer, M. S., Wertz, K. and Davis, M. (2009). The State of Transgender California: Results from the 2008 California Transgender Economic Health Survey. Transgender Law Center: San Francisco, CA. © The Transgender Law Center (2009) TLC Staff: Transgender Law Center Masen Davis 870 Market Street Room 822 Danny Kirchoff San Francisco, CA 94102 Mila Pavlin 15-865-0176 phone Maceo Persson 877-847-1278 fax Alexis Rivera [email protected] Kristina Wertz Matt Wood www.transgenderlawcenter.org 1 The State of TraNsgeNder CaliforNia: Results from the 2008 California Transgender Economic Health Survey FOREWORD 2 INTRODUCTION 4 DEMOGRAPHICS 5 KEY FINDINGS AND RECOMMENdatioNS 6 EDUCATION 6 ECONOMIC STATUS 7 EMPLOYMENT 8 HEALTHCARE 12 HOUSING & HOMELESSNESS 13 CONCLUSION 14 REFERENCES 15 ENDNOTES 15 APPENDIX: TRANSGENDER ECONOMIC health SURVEY 16 2 Foreword ransgender and gender non-conforming1 people experience overwhelming discrimination and marginalization in employment, housing, health care, and education based on their gender identity and/or Texpression. Increasingly, states and local jurisdictions are passing and enforcing non-discrimination laws and ordinances to protect people from workplace discrimination on the basis of gender identity and expression. In California, where there are statewide protections for transgender workers under California’s Fair Employment and Housing Act,2 a startling number of transgender and gender non-conforming Californians continue to face discrimination, harassment and unemployment directly linked to their gender identity and/or expression. Local activists have turned their attention to ensuring that these anti-discrimination laws have a significant, positive impact on protecting the rights of individuals. In 2006, the Transgender Law Center provided a snapshot of the economic lives of transgender people in San Francisco. Good Jobs Now! San Francisco identified economic stability as a major factor in the overall health and quality of life for transgender and gender non-conforming individuals. In 2007, San Francisco launched the country’s first Transgender Economic Empowerment Initiative, a multi-agency collaborative to address the high levels of under- and unemployment revealed by Good Jobs Now!. The Transgender Law Center expanded this work in 2008, conducting the first statewide survey documenting the financial, employment, health and housing experiences of transgender Californians. It is our hope that this resulting report, The State of Transgender California: Results from the 2008 California Transgender Economic Health Survey, will increase awareness of the challenges facing transgender people to call attention to the many assets they bring to California’s communities and workplaces. GOOD NEWS BAD NEWS Transgender Californians have been Seventy percent of the transgender legally protected from discrimination and community reports experiencing workplace harassment in employment since 2004. harassment or discrimination directly related to their gender identity. Transgender respondents are almost twice Transgender respondents are twice as likely as likely to hold a bachelor’s degree as the to be living below the poverty line of $10,400 general California State population. when compared to the general population. Transgender Californians have been 1 in 5 respondents have been homeless since legally protected from discrimination and they first identified as transgender. harassment in housing since 2004. California prohibits discrimination in Thirty percent of the community reports public accommodations, including medical postponing care for illness or preventive care care, based on gender identity. due to disrespect or discrimination from doctors or other health care providers. 3 Key findings and recommendations include the following: EMPLOYMENT HEALTH CARE DEFINITIONS Despite relatively high labor participation and Some 30% of transgender Californians report that This report uses many terms to describe education rates, transgender Californians they have postponed care for illness or preventive respondents’ identities and experiences. surveyed experience unemployment and poverty care due to disrespect or discrimination from The following are working definitions of at twice the state average. One in four earn doctors or other health care providers. Over those terms. wages below the national poverty level. Almost 40% did so because of economic barriers. TLC’s half report some loss of employment as a result of recommendations are: GENDER IDENtity their gender identity. TLC’s recommendations are: • Enact federal and state legislation prohibiting A person’s internal, deeply-felt sense of • Enforce existing state laws prohibiting exclusions of pre-existing conditions and being male, female, something other or employment discrimination based on gender. transition-related care in public and private in-between. insurance plans, including Medicare. • Invest in workforce development programs GENDER EXPRESSION and workplace trainings that meet the specific • Enforce California’s Insurance Gender Non- An individual’s characteristics and needs of transgender people. Discrimination Act and enact federal and state behaviors such as appearance, dress, legislation prohibiting the denial of insurance • Increase access for transgender and mannerisms, speech patterns, and coverage for gender-specific care. gender non-conforming Californians to social interactions that are perceived as comprehensive “know your employment • Increase access to quality health care for low masculine or feminine. rights” training and written materials. income and uninsured transgender people by expanding services at community clinics. TRANSGENDER EDUCATION An umbrella term that can be used to describe people whose gender The transgender Californians surveyed report HOUSING expression is non-conforming and/ remarkably high education rates —individuals In a state where 56% of Californians own their or whose gender identity is different are twice as likely to hold Bachelor’s degrees as homes, only 20% of the survey respondents are from their birth assigned gender. Many California’s general population. Yet there are homeowners. One out of five survey respondents transgender people identify as female- significant gender and racial/ethnic disparities indicated that they have been homeless since to-male (FTM) or male-to-female (MTF). in educational attainment, and 13% of those they first identified as transgender. TLC’s People who transition from female who had Bachelor’s degrees or higher still recommendations are: to male may be referred to as “FTM” earned below the national poverty level. TLC • Enforce existing laws prohibiting housing and or “transgender men.” People who recommends: public accommodation discrimination based transition from male to female may be • Enact and Enforce safe school laws to protect on gender. referred to as “MTF” or “transgender transgender and gender non-conforming • Expand state legislation to make clear that women.” students, with particular attention to youth of existing law prohibits homeless shelters from GENDER NOn-CONformiNG color. denying services based on gender identity and A person who has, or is perceived • Equip academic institutions with resources to expression. to have, gender characteristics and/ reduce racial/ethnic disparities in education • Create policies and train shelter staff to or behaviors that do not