Asian American, South Asian, Southeast Asian and Pacific Islander (API) transgender and

Asian American, South Asian, Southeast Asian and Pacific Islander (API) transgender and gender non-conforming people face high levels of discrimination according to an analysis released, National Transgender Discrimination Survey: A Look at Asian American, South Asian, Southeast Asian and Pacific Islander (API) Respondents that has been documented by transequality.org

This analysis by the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, the National Center for Transgender Equality and the National Queer Asian Pacific Islander Alliance (NQAPIA)is a supplement to the comprehensive national study released last year, the National Transgender Discrimination Survey, which revealed widespread discrimination experienced by transgender and gender non-conforming people across the board.

A key finding of the full report was that, even given the high levels of discrimination against all transgender people in the U.S., people of color experienced heightened levels of discrimination and had worse outcomes than the sample overall. API transgender people faced the combination of anti-transgender bias with structural and interpersonal racism.

“From employment discrimination to education to health care disparities, Asian American, South Asian, Southeast Asian and Pacific Islander transgender people are suffering at high rates due to bigotry, racism and transphobia,” says Anjali Chaudhry, who serves on the board of the National Queer Asian Pacific Islander Alliance. “This is unacceptable. NQAPIA is committed to bringing visibility to these inequities and to creating a world where transgender and gender non-conforming people can go about their daily lives without fear of discrimination, harassment or violence.”