New Report: Family and Social Acceptance Linked to Better Health for Trans Adults

WASHINGTON, DC - Family support and social acceptance are crucial to trans people’s health and wellbeing, shows a new report released today by the Advocates for Trans Equality Education Fund (A4TE). The report, which captures the experiences of 84,170 trans adults across the country, also finds that most survey respondents were able to access routine, mental and transition-related health care when they needed it and felt treated with respect by their healthcare provider.

“This report tells us that, for the most part, trans people are happy, healthy and getting the care they need, especially when they can live out their lives freely,” said Dr. Ankit Rastogi, Director of Research at Advocates for Trans Equality. “Attacks aimed at removing trans people from public life and limiting trans people’s access to health care threaten to halt this progress.”

According to the report Health and Wellbeing: Findings from the 2022 US Trans Survey, respondents were more likely to report good health if they had supportive families (69%) or had socially or medically transitioned (67% and 70% respectively), while those who experienced family rejection reported higher rates of considering or attempting suicide.

In comparison to 2015 when A4TE last fielded the survey, trust in healthcare providers was higher, with half of respondents saying all their providers knew they were transgender compared to 40% in 2015. Many healthcare providers were supportive of their trans patients, with nearly three in four (73%) respondents who disclosed their transgender status to their provider reporting they felt treated with respect by at least one provider—substantially higher than the 62% in 2015.

Other key findings:

• There is a significant gap between those who wanted gender-affirming hormone therapy and those who received it (88% compared to 56%). However, compared to 2015, 57% of respondents reported they had a dedicated transition-related provider (44% in 2015); more respondents reported receiving transition-related care (57% compared to 44%); and denial rates for transition-related surgeries are dramatically lower (20% compared to 55%). 
• Compared to the general population, respondents reported worse health--with 66% rating their health as “excellent,” “very good,” or “good,” compared to 81%--and were insured at lower rates (87% vs 92%).
• Older respondents reported better health than younger respondents with 78% of those 65+ vs. 60% of 18-24-year-olds who rated their health as good or higher. 

“Good health is the foundation that allows everyone to thrive. It is unconscionable that access to health care is now on the chopping block for millions of vulnerable Americans, including tens of thousands of trans people,” said Andy Marra, Chief Executive Officer at Advocates for Trans Equality. “Everyone in our nation should be able to access affordable care from a qualified medical provider without fear or denial of exclusion.”

The Health and Wellbeing: Findings from the 2022 US Trans Survey report is the third in a series of reports sharing findings from the 2022 U.S. Trans Survey.

The 2022 U.S. Transgender Survey was conducted by a team of experienced researchers, guided by a scientific advisory council composed of experts in research about trans populations, and under review of the UCLA Institutional Review Board. 

The 2022 U.S. Transgender Survey had an unprecedented 92,329 respondents from all 50 states, the District of Columbia, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and U.S. military bases overseas. Respondents were aged 16+ and diverse in race/ethnicity, educational attainment and geography. Advocates for Trans Equality Education Fund (formerly the National Center for Transgender Equality) developed the survey in partnership with the National Black Trans Advocacy Coalition, the TransLatin@ Coalition, and the National Queer Asian Pacific Islander Alliance. 

Visit www.ustranssurvey.org to see the full set of findings published in the report.

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About A4TE 

Advocates for Trans Equality (A4TE) is an organization that fights for the legal and political rights of transgender people in the United States. Introduced in July 2024 after the Transgender Legal Defense & Education Fund and the National Center for Transgender Equality merged, A4TE is the largest trans-led advocacy organization in the U.S. and brings together experts, advocates, and communities to shift government and society toward an equitable future where trans people live joyful lives without barriers.