Knowledge is power

Our feature story this week on transgender discrimination might seem more than a little depressing. The largest and most comprehensive study ever done of transgender individuals in the U.S. heaps scary statistic upon scary statistic, showing that overall, the transgender people among us have serious difficulties in meeting their basic needs. They face blatant discrimination in housing, employment and medical care. They're much more likely to live in serious poverty and be homeless. It's no wonder that many (47 percent of the survey respondents) have attempted suicide.
Mara Kiesling, the director of the National Center for Transgender Equality, the center that helped create and distribute the survey, said the center has received hate mail from people who are angry at how awful this makes the transgender community look.
But here at BTL, we don't think that this survey makes the transgender community look terrible. In fact, we think the survey is great.
Why? Because knowledge is power. It's a cheesy catchphrase, but it's true. Now, for the first time ever, our transgender community can point to this thorough, quantitative and qualitative study and say, THIS is why we need our rights. THIS is why we need protections and fair treatment in housing, employment and medicine. THIS is why things need to change: Because, in truth, they're not so great, and there is plenty of evidence to prove it.
This is also a good time to point out that there is plenty of help. Transgender Michigan, which has existed since 1997, offers resources and activities for the transgender folk among us. Affirmations and Equality Michigan are just some of the LGBT (emphasis on the T) friendly organizations around.
March 31 is the International Day of Transgender Visibility, and it will be celebrated with a few days of events organized by Transgender Michigan and Transgender Detroit. More information about those events can be found in this issue's Michigan news section or also by searching Facebook.
The NCTE's survey doesn't make our transgender community look terrible. It makes our transgender community look capable. Because the first step to resolving problems is figuring out what they are.