A study out of Wilfrid Laurier University shows that trans people in the region experience high levels of discrimination.
The OutLook Study analyzes the needs of the LGBTQ2+ community, done by collecting data which has been published in a comprehensive fact sheet. The study uses “trans” as an umbrella term to cover a number of identifiers: transgender, transsexual, gender variant or a person with a history of transitioning.
“There’s a belief that if more trans people are coming out and there’s more media attention, there’s an increase in support as well, but that’s not always the case,” says Charlie Davis, a Community Psychology PhD student at Laurier and lead author of the fact sheet, in a news release.
The sheet was compiled by five Laurier professors, Waterloo Region Public Health and a number of trans community members. A total of 526 people completed the survey for the study—112 of those people identified as trans.
“Most of those surveyed said they had experienced transphobia, including being made fun of or called names because of their gender identity (73 per cent) and hearing that trans people are not normal (96 per cent),” the news release says.
Other places that were often referred to as unsafe included bars, public bathrooms and gyms.
Those surveyed say they didn’t feel safe in healthcare settings, with some reporting that they avoided them altogether. If they did reach out for help, they were sometimes met with insulting language.
“For a lot of trans people, the report is really validating, especially for those who try to do advocacy in the region,” says Davis in the press release. “It’s discouraging, too, but I think that’s just a sign that there’s a lot of work that still needs to be done.”
A trans advisory group created a list of recommendations, including practical information, like filling out paperwork when the person’s gender doesn’t match their documents.
The recommendations also include suggestions for changes in policy that makes spaces more welcoming.
