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Transgender People

Rising visibility, unprecedented advocacy, and changing public opinion are working to provide transgender people greater legal protections than ever before. At the same time, many transgender people, particularly transgender women and transgender people of color, still face enormous barriers to their safety, health, and well-being.


The following resources offer an overview into the lives of transgender people maps and reports about the legal landscape and the impact on transgender youth and adults, and the threat of religious exemptions to the health and wellbeing of transgender people.

Related Resources

Report

Freedom Under Fire: the Far Right's Battle to Control America

March 2024 - This report connects the dots on extremist politicians’ attempts to fundamentally remake this country. The report further outlines the tightening restrictions on voting rights that limit the political power to fight back.

Report

Under Fire #5: Banning Medical Care and Legal Recognition for Transgender People

September 2023 - The fifth report in the Under Fire series from MAP identifies five core tactics opponents are using in their attempts to erase transgender people from public life.

Report

Under Fire #4: Enshrining Inequality for LGBTQ People

August 2023 - The fourth report in this series pinpoints the ways that opponents of LGBTQ equality are eroding existing protections and creating new avenues to allow discrimination.

Report

Under Fire #3: Erecting Systemic and Structural Barriers to Make Change Harder

June 2023 - The third report in this series details how fast, furious political attacks on LGBTQ people are connected to ongoing attacks on voting rights and democracy overall, which have also increased in recent years.

Report

LGBTQ Policy Spotlight: Bans on Medical Care for Transgender People

April 2023 - In this detailed analysis of more than 250 recent bills, MAP illustrates the extent of how bills targeting medically necessary care for transgender people are expanding and becoming more extreme.

Blog Post

In the Worst Legislative Session Ever, Trans People Will Still Win

March 2023 - In an interview for Transgender Day of Visibility, MAP's Logan Casey shares his insight and great advice for moving through an incredibly difficult political moment.

Map

Equality Maps: MEDICAID COVERAGE OF TRANSGENDER-RELATED HEALTH CARE

Some state policies explicitly say that the state's Medicaid program covers medically necessary care for transgender people, whereas other state policies explicitly exclude such care.

Map

Equality Maps: Bans on Best Practice Medical Care for Transgender Youth

Bans on best-practice medical care represent one of the most extreme and coordinated political attacks on transgender people in recent years. These bills target transgender youth by blocking their access to best-practice medical care.

Report

The ID Divide: How Barriers to ID Impact Different Communities and Affect Everyone

November 2022 - This report illustrates clear, achievable ID policies that promote public safety and good governance while still ensuring that people can have their basic needs met and have an equal opportunity to participate in civic and everyday life.

Blog Post

Why Being Visible in Data is So Critical for Transgender People in the U.S.

More and better data about LGBTQI people helps detail the multitude of experiences related to sexual orientation, gender identity, and sex. Inclusive data collection also combats stereotypes and misinformation about LGBTQI people.

Map

Equality Maps: Bans on Transgender Youth Participation in Sports

This maps displays laws that ban transgender youth from participating in school sports, most frequently in K-12 schools but sometimes including in college. The policies shown here include blanket bans on transgender people’s participation in sports, and they are both unnecessary and harmful.

Map

Equality Maps: Identity Document Laws and Policies

These maps illustrate the state laws and administrative polices governing the processes by which an individual can change the gender marker on their driver's license and/or birth certificate to accurately reflect their gender identity, sometimes including intrusive and outdated requirements, such as proof of sex reassignment surgery and court orders.

Map

LGBTQ Policy Tally Snapshot: Gender Identity

Policy tallies provide an overview of laws and polices that exist in each state. This tally includes laws that explicitly mention gender identity or gender identity and expression.

Map

Local Employment Non-Discrimination Ordinances: Gender Identity/Expression

Local employment non-discrimination ordinances protect people from being unfairly fired, not hired, or discriminated against in the workplace by private employers on the basis of gender identity.

Map

Healthcare Laws and Policies

Health care laws and policies impact many areas of LGBTQ people's lives, from insurance coverage to protections for LGBTQ youth.

Blog Post

Get the facts: Best practice medical care for trans youth

May 2022 - This blog post provides a 2022 overview of legislative efforts across the country that seek to ban health care for transgender youth.

Report

Policy Spotlight: Curriculum Censorship & Hostile School Climate Bills

March 2022 - This report examines the wave of state legislation that censor discussions of race, ethnicity, religion, and LGBTQ people in schools and that create a hostile climate for students.

Report

LGBTQ POLICY SPOTLIGHT: Efforts to Ban Health Care for Transgender Youth

April 2021 - This report provides an overview of the legislative efforts across the country that seek to ban health care for transgender youth and the harmful impacts these bills could have.

brief

Week #1: 10 Ways President Biden Can Support LGBTQ People

November 2020 - This brief highlights 10 actions the Biden administration can immediately start to ensure LGBTQ people and their families can be protected from discrimination.

Report

Where We Call Home: Transgender People in Rural America (Full Report)

November 2019 - This report includes original analysis of the unique challenges and opportunities for transgender people in rural America.

Brief

Can LGBT People Be Legally Fired? U.S. Supreme Court Considers Three Cases That Could Take America Backward

July 2019  - This brief that describes three cases the U.S. Supreme court will consider in Fall 2019, how the Court could rule, and what the implications of the Court’s rulings could mean for LGBT people not just at work but in all areas of life.

Infographic

LGBT People with Disabilities

July 2019  - In light of the 29th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ACA), this infographic provides a short summary of what we know about LGBT people with disabilities in the United States.

New Campaign

Advancing Acceptance

February 2019 - Launched by the Movement Advancement Project, the Biden Foundation, and Gender Spectrum, “Advancing Acceptance” raises awareness of the importance of family and community acceptance in the lives of transgender and gender diverse youth.

Policy Brief

Infographic: Get the Facts About Trans Youth

February 2019  - As part of the “Advancing Acceptance” public education campaign, MAP, the Biden Foundation and Gender Spectrum released new resources including a new infographic, a clearinghouse of helpful links, tips for advancing the conversation, and policy recommendations geared toward promoting acceptance within families and communities of transgender and gender diverse youth. Learn more at www.advancingacceptance.org

Resources

Family Support: Resources for Families of Transgender & Gender Diverse Children

February 2019 - Many people don’t understand what it means to be transgender, so some parents or family members struggle when their child comes out as transgender or gender diverse. These resources are geared toward answering those questions. These resources also help parents gain deeper understanding and learn how to best support their child in ways that can help them succeed and thrive. 

Resources

Community Acceptance: Resources for Communities Working with Transgender & Gender Diverse Children

February 2019 – Many people don’t understand what it means to be transgender or gender diverse, so some communities struggle with how to best work with and support children and youth who are transgender or gender diverse. This document highlights critical resources that promote community understanding and acceptance of transgender and gender diverse youth. 

Guide

Talking About Family Acceptance & Transgender Youth

February 2019 – Parents, family and friends of transgender youth can play a vital role in providing guidance to others who know or believe their child might be transgender—and that’s where this guide comes in. Talking About Family Acceptance & Transgender Youth, is designed primarily for use by parents, family and friends of transgender youth and provides an overview of conversation approaches that can help families and friends build and extend support for the transgender youth in their own lives.

Q & A

Advancing Acceptance Q & A

February 2019 – Parents, family and friends of transgender youth can play a vital role in providing guidance to others who know or believe their child might be transgender—and that’s where this guide comes in. Hear from the Berman-Ruth and Wylie families discussing how they have supported their son, Xander, a transgender boy, through his transition. This resource was created as part of the Advancing Acceptance campaign. Learn more at www.advancingacceptance.org.

Video

Journeys: The Berman-Ruth & Wylie Families

February 2019 – This ad showcases the Berman-Ruth family and their close family friends, the Wylie family, discussing how they have supported their son, Xander, a transgender boy, through his transition. Journeys: The Berman-Ruth & Wylie Families, was released as part of the Advancing Acceptance campaign, a project of MAP, the Biden Foundation and Gender Spectrum. Learn more at www.advancingacceptance.org.

New Ad

Hallway

September 2018 - “Hallway," the new PSA produced by MAP and released in partnership with GLSEN, depicts the harassment transgender students often face when they need to use the restroom at school—and how school administrators and supportive students alike can help. "Hallway," was released as part of the new Safe Schools Movement campaign to encourage parents, educators, youth, and policymakers to advocate for safe schools for LGBTQ youth.

New Brief

Transgender Youth in Schools

September 2018 - Released as part of the new Safe Schools Movement, this new infographic brief from MAP, GLSEN and NCTE highlights the experience of transgender students in school and the laws and policies still needed to ensure transgender students can fully participate in school.

Report

The Power of State Preemption: Preventing Progress and Threatening Equality

May 2018 - The Power of State Preemption: Preventing Progress and Threatening Equality exposes the coordinated effort to limit municipalities from passing local laws, the special interests motivating these efforts, and the negative impact specifically on LGBT people. The report concludes that when preemption is used in this way to undermine people’s economic security, health, and safety, it jeopardizes local democracy and equality for all.

Report

Religious Refusals in Health Care: A Prescription for Disaster

March 2018 - MAP and the National Center for Transgender Equality (NCTE) released a new report, Religious Refusals in Health Care: A Prescription for Disaster, examining the coordinated efforts at the federal and state level to allow medical providers to legally discriminate and deny needed care. These policies could encourage doctors, hospitals, paramedics, and other medical providers to pick and choose which patients they will treat, and who receives medically-necessary treatment.

Infographic

LGBT Employees & Title VII

Updated February 2018 - Several courts are considering cases brought by LGBT employees who have been discriminated against at work because of their gender identity or sexual orientation. This two page infographic offers an explanation of why Title VII of the Civil Rights Act is so important for LGBT employees and reviews the legal landscape.

Infographic

Infographic: Transgender Students and Title IX

Update February 2018 - Every student deserves a fair chance to succeed in school and prepare for their future—including students who are transgender. This two page infographic offers an explanation of why Title IX of the Civil Rights Act is so important for transgender students and reviews the legal landscape.

Video

Movie Theater

January 2018 -MAP’s latest ad, launched alongside the new LGBT Policy Spotlight: Public Accommodations Nondiscrimination Laws report, depicts how transgender people can experience discrimination, harassment and denial of equal treatment in places of public accommodation.

Report

LGBT Policy Spotlight: Public Accommodations Nondiscrimination Laws

January 2018 - This spotlight report provides a comprehensive overview of the patchwork of federal, state, and local protections against discrimination in public spaces, and how this puts LGBT people at risk.

Report

A Closer Look: Bisexual Transgender People

September 2017 - The 2015 U.S. Transgender Survey, conducted by the National Center for Transgender Equality, offers a unique opportunity to examine the lives, experiences, disparities, and resilience of bisexual transgender people. this report analyzes data from the U.S. Transgender Survey, documents disparities for bisexual people and offers recommendations for remedying those disparities.

Report

Separation and Stigma: Transgender Youth & School Facilities

April 2017 - This new report examines the harmful and unnecessary policies that exclude transgender students from accessing appropriate school facilities. Despite the success of inclusive policies across the country, seventeen states have introduced legislation designed to ensure transgender students are relegated to facilities that align with the sex on their birth certificate, rather than their gender identity.

Report

Mapping Transgender Equality in the United States

February 2017 - To help make sense of the current policy landscape in the states, this report looks at legal equality for transgender people across the country. The gender identity tally is comprised of 25 state laws and policies in five key categories: Non-Discrimination, LGBT Youth, Health and Safety, Ability to Correct the Name and Gender Marker on Identity Documents, and Adoption and Parenting.

Guide

Talking About Transgender Students & School Facilities Access

January 2017 - As part of ongoing efforts to protect transgender people from discrimination, there is growing momentum to ensure that transgender students have a fair chance at educational success. This guide provides high-level messaging to help build support for policies and laws that protect transgender students and their ability to access school facilities that match their gender identity.

Report

Talking About Transgender People & Restrooms

August 2016 - Explore approaches for talking about transgender people and restrooms in a variety of contexts, including: building support for (and calming concerns about) nondiscrimination protections, opposing harmful anti-transgender bathroom ban laws, and more.

Report

The Facts: Bathroom Safety, Nondiscrimination Laws, and Bathroom Ban Laws

July 2016 - The Facts: Bathroom Safety, Nondiscrimination Laws, and Bathroom Ban Laws provides a thorough and rational discussion of the legal landscape pertaining to nondiscrimination laws, bathroom ban laws, and restroom safety.

Video

New TV Ad: Restaurant

July 2016 - Debuting July 21 on FOX News Channel, this groundbreaking new TV ad created by MAP depicts the challenges transgender people face in accessing public restrooms when our laws don’t protect them from discrimination. For more on the campaign, visit FairnessUSA.org.

Report

Unjust: How the Broken Criminal Justice System Fails Transgender People

May 2016 - Transgender people face high levels of discrimination in many areas of life, putting them at risk for economic insecurity, homelessness, and reliance on survival economies. Combined with policing strategies that profile and target transgender people, particularly transgender women of color, the result is high rates of criminalization of transgender people.

Infographic

Snapshot: Transgender in America

July 2015 - This new infographic, “Snapshot: Transgender in America,” gives a quick look at state-level laws and policies that impact the lives of transgender people and provides some key statistics on the challenges transgender people face.

Guide

An Ally's Guide to Talking About Nondiscrimination Protections for LGBT People

April 2015 - Learn about conversation approaches that can help build and sustain solid, lasting support for LGBT nondiscrimination laws, and also factually and effectively address concerns that might be raised when discussing the need for such protections.

Report

Understanding Issues Facing Transgender Americans

February 2015 - Coauthored by the Movement Advancement Project, the Transgender Law Center, and the National Center for Transgender Equality, with partnership by GLAAD, Understanding Issues Facing Transgender Americans provides a high-level introduction for advocates and allies to the issues facing transgender Americans, as well as recommendations for change.

Report

Paying an Unfair Price: The Financial Penalty for Being Transgender in America

February 2015 - Transgender people in the United States face clear financial penalties and are left economically vulnerable because of discrimination and hostile educational environments. Learn more in this companion report to Paying an Unfair Price.

Report

A Broken Bargain for Transgender Workers

September 2013 - The basic American bargain--that those who work hard and meet their responsibilities should be able to get ahead--is broken for transgender workers. Learn about the inequities facing transgender workers, and how policymakers and employers can help reduce and eliminate those inequities.

Report

Advancing Transgender Equality: Snapshot

January 2009 - This snapshot report provides a capsule summary of the full report, as well as recommendations that can help LGBT organizations and their funders advance equality for transgender people in the years ahead.

Report

Advancing Transgender Equality (Members Only Resource)

January 2009 - This report provides an overview of the movement for transgender equality, as well as recommendations that can help LGBT organizations and their funders advance equality for transgender people in the years ahead.

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Sexual Orientation Policy Tally

The term “sexual orientation” is loosely defined as a person’s pattern of romantic or sexual attraction to people of the opposite sex or gender, the same sex or gender, or more than one sex or gender. Laws that explicitly mention sexual orientation primarily protect or harm lesbian, gay, and bisexual people. That said, transgender people who are lesbian, gay or bisexual can be affected by laws that explicitly mention sexual orientation.

Gender Identity Policy Tally

“Gender identity” is a person’s deeply-felt inner sense of being male, female, or something else or in-between. “Gender expression” refers to a person’s characteristics and behaviors such as appearance, dress, mannerisms and speech patterns that can be described as masculine, feminine, or something else. Gender identity and expression are independent of sexual orientation, and transgender people may identify as heterosexual, lesbian, gay or bisexual. Laws that explicitly mention “gender identity” or “gender identity and expression” primarily protect or harm transgender people. These laws also can apply to people who are not transgender, but whose sense of gender or manner of dress does not adhere to gender stereotypes.

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