Survey Shows Rampant Harassment and Other Challenges for L.G.B.T.Q. Americans
In a new nationwide survey, transgender people reported being harassed in many public places and nearly half said they had experienced employment or housing discrimination. Here’s what else we found.
Across a range of measures, the path to equal rights for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer Americans is proving slow and halting.
A new nationwide survey of L.G.B.T.Q. adults, released on Tuesday by the public-opinion research center the Kaiser Family Foundation, provides new details about disparities in economic well-being and exposure to harassment and other types of mistreatment.
Compared with straight, cisgender — meaning not transgender — adults, those in the L.G.B.T.Q. community face significantly higher rates of harassment and other negative experiences in certain settings. But there are incentives, as well, for businesses to create more inclusive environments.
A large majority of the approximately 8,000 respondents to the Kaiser survey, over 85 percent, said they felt “extremely” or “very” proud to be L.G.B.T.Q. But roughly 3 in 10 said they had experienced such severe bullying that they were physically unable to attend school and more than a third had been electronically harassed last year.
The greatest harms are directed at transgender Americans, according to the survey, which is partly why a month-long effort this year by major tech companies to stamp out bullying and harassment specifically targeted trans users.
When considering transgender experiences overall, respondents were most likely to say they had been denied a place to live, followed by the banking and credit industries, the survey showed. On Dec. 3, the “equality” clause of New York State’s Human Rights Law was updated to prohibit housing and employment discrimination against transgender people, circumstances under which, according to the Center for American Progress, many trans people continue to face adversity.
Beyond the workplace, the poll found that transgender people in particular reported being harassed in many public places, including stores or restaurants, parking lots, other outdoor spaces like parks, schools, theaters, gyms, health care settings and on public transportation.
Forty-nine percent of people who are trans, meaning their gender identity differs from the one they were assigned at birth, said they had applied for a job in the last five years and experienced some form of employment discrimination. And 2 percent of the respondents weren’t able to obtain credit due to harassment based on their gender identity.
In some arenas, such as on public transportation, harassment occurs at exceedingly high rates. Fifteen percent of those who reported being harassed on a transit vehicle in the past year said they were physically assaulted.
Daniel Rodriguez, 51, who ran for a seat in New York City’s State Assembly last year, said he had been harassed many times while taking the subway. On one occasion, a woman took a photograph and sent it to his employer, where he was “let go within 30 days” as a result, he said.
Still, the trust is growing in the companies perceived as having the greatest ability to stanch anti-gay sentiment and harassment. For example, 92 percent of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Americans said that Amazon “somewhat” or “completely” listens to its L.G.B.T. employees and responds to their concerns.
While much of the survey involved broad questions about life experiences and well-being, one set of questions asked respondents about their employers. Some respondents reported difficulties.
Among the more vigorous efforts to offer positive experiences to L.G.B.T. workers comes from Google.
The company has delivered new results in its job search feature for candidates and screens interested employers against 10 gay rights issues.
The impetus for the offering, the company says, is to address a potential stigma around working for L.G.B.T.-friendly companies and to allow L.G.B.T. people to “be visible about our plight wherever possible,” according to the company’s blog.
“We’re making a statement by highlighting what’s important to us,” the blog post said.
The article is a new report by the Kaiser Family Foundation which sponsored a nationwide survey of L.G.B.T.Q. adults. The survey revealed that the economic well-being and exposure to harassment and mistreatment for members of the L.G.B.T.Q. community significantly differs from that of straight, cisgender individuals. The results showed that trans people, in particular, face ongoing harassment, and were denied places to live and experienced severe bullying. These trans people reflected that many of them couldn’t attend school. Furthermore, trans people face employment and housing discrimination, potentially resulting from the lack of laws protecting their rights. While the path towards equal rights for the L.G.B.T.Q. community is proving slow and halting, large tech companies such as Google are taking initiatives to provide more inclusive environments.
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