A new report by the Williams Institute at UCLA School of Law finds that 59% of transgender and nonbinary adults surveyed in California experienced at least one incident of violence or harassment in the year prior to completing the 2022 U.S. Transgender Survey.
Online harassment was the most common form (42%), followed by verbal harassment (38%), threats of physical violence (19%), bathroom-related harassment or violence (17%), and physical attacks (7%). Those with lower incomes or less education reported higher rates of physical violence and threats of physical violence than older respondents and those with more education or higher incomes. Younger respondents reported more online and verbal harassment than older respondents.
Using data from 9,146 California adults who participated in the 2022 U.S. Transgender Survey, researchers examined the prevalence and types of victimization experienced by transgender people in the state. They also explored whether individuals who are more visibly identifiable as transgender face greater risks of violence and harassment.
Findings show that transgender visibility is the strongest and most consistent predictor of all types of violence and harassment. Respondents who reported they were more often perceived as transgender experienced higher rates of every form of violence and harassment.
“There is a long history of anti-transgender rhetoric and actions in the U.S., and it continues through today,” said lead author Jordan Grasso, Research Data Analyst at the Williams Institute. “Despite California’s generally more accepting environment, transgender Californians are not insulated from the impact of anti-transgender laws and policies enacted elsewhere.”
When asked why they believed they were targeted for violence and harassment, respondents overwhelmingly attributed these experiences to their transgender status, gender identity, or gender expression.
KEY FINDINGS
Physical Attacks
- Hispanic or Latine transgender women reported disproportionately high rates of physical attacks (12%), compared to Hispanic or Latine transgender men (5%) and nonbinary individuals assigned female (5%) or male (2%) at birth.
Victimization in Bathrooms
- Of those who faced victimization in bathrooms, 15% were told they were using the wrong bathroom, and 5% were denied access.
- Transgender men and those with higher transgender visibility had disproportionately high rates of bathroom violence and harassment.
Threats of Physical Violence
- On average, respondents who reported threats of physical violence had an average of 2.9 threats in the prior year.
Verbal Harassment
- One in five (20%) respondents reported experiencing verbal harassment related to their transgender status or gender by a stranger in a public place.
- The vast majority (84%) of those who faced verbal harassment believed it occurred because of their transgender status, gender identity, or gender expression.
Online Harassment
- Online harassment included being called offensive names (33%), intentional embarrassment (21%), sexual harassment (16%), physical threats (12%), sustained harassment (12%), and stalking (9%).
- Nearly half (48%) of younger respondents aged 18–24 reported experiencing online harassment in the past year, compared with 30% of those aged 45 and older.
“These findings underscore the complex nature of anti-transgender violence and harassment, which often arises from overlapping forms of discrimination,” said study author Ilan Meyer, Distinguished Senior Scholar of Public Policy at the Williams Institute. “Recently, the federal government stopped collecting data on anti-transgender violence in the United States. Our results demonstrate the importance of continued data collection to allow policymakers to fully understand and address anti transgender violence.”