A large survey of transgender Americans paints a grim picture of pervasive discrimination and harassment affecting that population.
The Transgender Society of Peoria and service providers estimate between 1,000-1,500 transgender people live in the Peoria region.
The study, published by the National Center for Transgender Equality, assesses 2015 data from 27,715 respondents from all 50 states. It says while there have been notable gains for transgender rights in recent years, the latest data shows little or no improvement in terms of transgender people's day-to-day experiences with bias.
In fact, one finding remained virtually unchanged since the previous study in 2008. About 40 percent of respondents say they have attempted suicide at some point.
As school districts in Illinois and nationwide grapple with developing bathroom policies that offer protections to transgender students, the research suggests that bullying and safety may be another topic to consider.
In its data collected on education, 77-percent of students from grades K-12 reported experiencing harassment, including physical or sexual assault, due to their transgender identity.
The survey, released Thurs., is the largest of its kind on transgender Americans. The largest previous survey, conducted by the center and a partner organization in 2008-09, had 6,450 responses.
