The Williams Institute

Genderqueer individuals suffer discrimination and violence at similar, and sometimes even higher rates, than transgender-identified individuals, according to a new study published by the LGBTQ Policy Journal at the Harvard Kennedy School. The findings are based on data from the 2008 National Transgender Discrimination Survey (NTDS), a study undertaken by the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force and the National Center for Transgender Equality, where respondents were allowed to write in their own gender if the predetermined categories did not represent them.

While genderqueer respondents fared the same or better than other NTDS respondents by some measures, they notably fared worse by others. As compared to transgender-identified survey respondents, genderqueer were people more likely to:

Suffer physical assaults (32% compared to 25%)Survive sexual assault in K-12 education (16% compared to 11%)Face police harassment (31% compared to 21%)Be unemployed (76% compared to 56%)Avoid healthcare treatment for fear of discrimination (36% compared to 27%)