The majority of transgender employees, 82%, report experiencing discrimination or harassment in the workplace at some point in their lives because of their gender identity or sexual orientation, a new survey shows.
The study, 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 (45%), and non-binary employees (59%).
“Transgender people are a particularly vulnerable and marginalized group in the workplace,” Brad Sears, lead author of the report and founder and executive director of the Williams Institute, said in a statement. “Many do not fully commit to work and face an unsupportive work environment, making them less likely to fully invest in their current employer and job.”
Previous research from the Williams Institute has estimated that there are approximately 1.3 million trans adults in the US. The new report surveyed 1,902 LGBTQ adults in the workforce, including 86 trans adults, in the summer of 2023, comparing trans adults’ experiences with theirs. cisgender lesbian, gay, bisexual and queer peers.
Half of trans adults surveyed were people of color, and 6 in 10 earned less than $50,000 a year. Of trans respondents who reported experiencing discrimination or harassment in the workplace at some point in their lives, 65% reported experiencing verbal harassment, 34% reported experiencing physical harassment, and 42% reported experiencing sexual harassment experienced.
Many of the trans respondents gave examples of being constantly misnamed or misnamed, referring to someone deliberately using the wrong pronouns or their previous name, and reported coworkers asking invasive questions about their bodies or menopause, among other forms of verbal harassment.
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The report includes quotes from respondents describing some of their experiences. For example, a transgender employee from Massachusetts said their boss, supervisor and coworkers all asked them too many personal questions “about how I do things as a trans person,” including how to dress and wear a binder to flatten their chest and how their sexuality changed when they switched.
Trans employees who reported experiencing discrimination were two to four times more likely than cisgender LGBQ employees to report being fired (12% vs. 5%), not being hired (20% vs. 5%), or having no career opportunities received (15% versus 5%), based on their gender identity or sexual orientation in the past year.
Transgender people tried to reduce discrimination and harassment in the workplace by concealing their gender identity at work or seeking alternative employment, the report said. More than 1 in 3 transgender respondents, or 36%, say they do not come out as transgender to their current manager; 13% say they are not transgender to any of their colleagues; 71% said they have engaged in behavior to disguise their gender identity, such as changing their voice or mannerisms while at work; and 67% said they left their job because of the way they were treated based on their gender identity or sexual orientation.
This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
