2022 U.S. Trans Survey

November 7, 2022 6:15 PM

Through November 21, answers are being solicited for the 2022 U.S. Trans Survey, run by the National Center for Transgender Equality (CN), "is the largest survey of trans people, by trans people, in the United States. The USTS documents the lives and experiences of trans and nonbinary people ages 16+ in the U.S. and U.S. territories." (previously, previously)
posted by MollyRealized (16 comments total)

Wow, how fantastic that they're doing a new survey!

I was not aware of their earlier surveys, but taking a moment to skim some of the results from the 2015 survey was very informative for me - I was surprised to learn that (at least in 2015), a major reason for trans individuals not having ID and legal documents matching their gender was due to cost (something I never thought about); and I was pleasantly surprised to learn that even in 2015, "A majority of respondents (60%) who were out to the immediate family they grew up with said that their family was generally supportive of their transgender identity." (I mean, obviously it should be 100%, but too many families are hostile rather than nurturing, and I was just glad to see it was over 50%.)

I hope this survey becomes widely known and gets lots of participation. The more we know about the struggles people face, the better equipped we are to know what obstacles we still need to address - where we need to direct our efforts to make the world more just and loving toward everyone.

I'm so glad you highlighted this for us, MollyRealized - I hope someone follows up with another front page post when the results have been tabulated. This is great work, and I'm so glad to know about it - thank you for posting this!
posted by kristi at 7:50 PM on November 7, 2022 [5 favorites]

I was surprised to learn that (at least in 2015), a major reason for trans individuals not having ID and legal documents matching their gender was due to cost (something I never thought about)

In Pennsylvania, where I live now, the cost of a name change is more than $1000. Once I get it changed, though, New Jersey where I was born will change my birth record for free…. but I’m going to need to pay for copies, and probably more than one of them.

My parents are… not supportive. My wife, however, is, and that’s what I need. (Sometimes she buys me clothes ro surprise me.)

I’m much happier now that I’m out to myself and to others, and feeling more me. Interestingly, my general dexterity has increased, which I attribute to being more comfortable in my body. And my wife just got a new job with insurance that explicitly covers gender affirming care, so I might just be able to get some stuff done.
posted by mephron at 11:05 PM on November 7, 2022 [17 favorites]

NY state only reduced the requirements for name changes last year, getting rid of the antiquated published announcement, among other things. It still requires a court order which still costs more money than some may be able to come by (though I believe there are accommodations for that).
posted by kokaku at 11:36 PM on November 7, 2022

helps representation a great deal

I'm bitter and cynical, but I'm just sure they're fixed the questions from 2015 where it was impossible to accurately report my experience. My friends and I have a sad laugh when the Pride Study survey comes out every year at the gaping holes in the questions, but it's actually the Trans Survey where I'm annoyed enough to still be able to cite examples (particularly in the cases where me answering distorts the result because they didn't provide enough options!).
posted by hoyland at 4:57 AM on November 8, 2022 [3 favorites]

That said, there's a few questions where I will be interested to see how the results have changed (I'm pretty sure they will have), but I do not discuss those questions on Metafilter.
posted by hoyland at 4:58 AM on November 8, 2022 [1 favorite]

I took it, and (as a nonbinary person) I felt like there were only a couple of minor gaps, or places where the most truthful answer still felt like it could lead someone to the wrong assumptions about my experience.
posted by Foosnark at 8:01 AM on November 8, 2022 [3 favorites]

There are definitely still questions where I couldn't accurately report my experience and some that were confusingly worded. They do say it's in part because they take questions from a variety of other surveys whole cloth and don't want to change the wording because than they can't compare the results. Which, if everyone is getting meh results I'm not really on board with. But it mostly makes sense.
posted by blueberry monster at 9:17 AM on November 8, 2022 [2 favorites]

a major reason for trans individuals not having ID and legal documents matching their gender was due to cost

in illinois it took me about $600 for the legal change for state items, and then over $200 for passport+passport card+global entry

my birth state will not change my birth certificate unless i have surgical procedures, meaning that total cost without insurance would be well over $10k + $35ish

good thing is i don't ever use my birth certificate.

cost is still prohibitive for some. there's a reason why there are non-profits dedicated to paying for the legal name changes where they can for trans people.
posted by i used to be someone else at 9:21 AM on November 8, 2022 [2 favorites]

Yeah, cost is the reason for every single person I know who hasn't done a name change.
posted by augustimagination at 2:54 PM on November 8, 2022 [1 favorite]

California about 10 years ago-- the court order was $500, plus about $50 to publish in a "paper of record," plus $25 per additional copy of the certificate (you need at least 3), plus time off work and potentially transportation, legal help, etc. At that time, change of legal gender had to be a court order but you could do them for the same price at the same time.

Then you have to do Social Security, which is free but you sacrifice a certified copy of the court order, then a month later so the SSN database updates you go to the DMV and replace your ID for I think $90 for a Real ID and they will screw it up at least once, then birth certificate which is like $45 or something, more for additional copies. Then you either make or replace your passport which is $120-something. God help you if you need to vote, get on a plane, or buy beer for like 6 months while they figure it out.

Replace your college diploma and transcripts, $$. Replace your marriage cert, $$. And on and on and on. If you can transition or at least change your name young before you have a diploma and credit cards and car insurance etc. then do it because if you get the right ID once you're good from then on.
posted by blnkfrnk at 3:35 PM on November 8, 2022 [4 favorites]

My 15yo son, who is trans, just sent off his name changed paperwork to the court a week ago. $185 for the court fee and $65 to publish in a local paper nobody reads.

He applied for a fee waiver but was denied.

The state he was born in used to require surgery for a new birth certificate but no longer does, so we’ll be able to do that as well once he has the legal name change.
posted by Well I never at 4:36 AM on November 9, 2022 [1 favorite]

I do remember that the one asking for names or terms you identified as was huge -- I actually learned some terms I had never heard before.

The identity questions weren't the memorable ones, actually (though I usually have problems with those). As I recall, a bunch of the questions seemed to assume one was in a fairly "active" stage of transition and didn't do a great job of capturing people pre- or post-transition. The absurd, but fairly inconsequential, one had nothing to do with being trans--there was no way to describe my relationship, which was "we are definitely in a relationship, but not for long enough yet that we think this is 'permanent'"--we could either be having casual sex or be "partners". The actually problematic ones were about experiences of discrimination or harassment, which all asked about "in the last six months", but did not offer an option for "I have not experienced this because I am not perceived by cis people to be trans or gender non-conforming". I know damn well why I haven't been harassed in a bathroom in the last six months, and it isn't because cis people have stopped harassing trans people in bathrooms.
posted by hoyland at 7:05 AM on November 10, 2022 [4 favorites]

In my view, the reasonable response when presented with a survey of 60 to 90 minutes' length is to say "fuck you, pay me". Of course, many of us feel like it's worth it to put in so much of our energy to advance the needle of understanding / acceptance even that one tiny little tick.

But, in addition to feeling like it's disrespectful of trans people's time and energy, there's another reason I didn't fill out the survey. I can't. The amount of stress it would induce and the number of spoons it would take out of my day are both something I can't afford.

I shall remain uncounted.
posted by tigrrrlily at 10:23 AM on November 10, 2022 [1 favorite]

But, in addition to feeling like it's disrespectful of trans people's time and energy
I just finished it. Ugh! Brutally long. I really worry that they're screening out a lot of people. Trans people are a group particularly likely to be in a work or housing situation where they don't have time to fill something like this out (but we wouldn't know, because they can't fill it out).
I was really glad to get my input on some of the topics they had listed, but I just don't know if it's functional because of the length.
posted by Flight Hardware, do not touch at 10:44 AM on November 10, 2022

I was actually sitting down to start it and the first question de-anonymizes!? The only reason I'd need to be able to reconstruct my ID is to de-anonymize my response.
posted by hoyland at 4:16 AM on November 17, 2022 [1 favorite]

I'm sure everyone wants me to liveblog this survey, but OMG, I hate it, probably more than I did the last time around. "Why don't you tell people you're non-binary?" Because it's a terrible descriptor of my gender, but the least objectionable of the mere five options on the previous page! Your survey's assumptions are literally the reason I don't! (Don't ask me where my increased antipathy towards "trans man" is coming from.)
posted by hoyland at 3:42 PM on November 21, 2022 [1 favorite]