Latest news with #U.S.TransSurvey
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Donald Trump's election triggered transgender people to contemplate DIY hormones & suicide: study
Even before executive orders were signed in January or court decisions handed down, fear was already surging through transgender communities across the United States. A new study from the University of Vermont, appearing in JAMA Network Open, captures that fear in stark detail. Titled 'Access to Gender-Affirming Care and Alternatives to That Care Among Transgender Adults,' the research found that every single one of 489 transgender, nonbinary, and intersex respondents believed they could lose access to gender-affirming medical care under the shifting political climate. Keep up with the latest in + news and politics. 'This is a population that already feels that their access to care is constantly under threat,' said Teresa Graziano, the study's lead author, who uses they/them pronouns. 'It was startling.' Related: What does Donald Trump's 'shocking and devastating' victory and a second term mean for the LGBTQ+ community? The survey, conducted between the 2024 election and Inauguration Day 2025, revealed a level of distress that transcended fear and entered the realm of survival. More than 21 percent of participants reported that they would feel suicidal if their access to care were cut off. Graziano said one participant explicitly told them, 'killing myself is easier than living without my hormones and my gender affirming care.' Particularly alarming to Graziano was how many respondents described preparing for life without medical support. Nearly a third said they would turn to black-market hormones or attempt to synthesize hormones at home if care were banned. 'My concern as a health care provider is that they do not necessarily know that they are receiving sterile products or the products that they think they're receiving,' Graziano said. 'They may not be using doses that are safe or appropriate for them because it may not translate one-to-one with what they've been using in the past.' The Trump administration has moved quickly to implement policies redefining sex as strictly male or female and directing federal agencies to explore limits on gender-affirming care, particularly for minors. While no federal ban on adult care is currently in place, the U.S. Supreme Court's June decision in Skrmetti upholding Tennessee's ban on gender-affirming care for minors has fueled deep anxieties that similar laws could spread across the country. Related: Trump administration announces end to gender-affirming care for transgender veterans National advocates say the Vermont study confirms broader trends. A spokesperson for Advocates for Trans Equality told The Advocate, 'This new study echoes what we found in our 2022 U.S. Trans Survey health report that we released last month, which captures the experiences of 84,170 trans adults across the country, and what millions across our country who are losing access to their health care thanks to Trump's budget reconciliation bill are saying: Trump's policies have consequences—all of us are less healthy and less safe, and many trans people will die without the transition-related care they need.' For Rep. Becca Balint, Vermont's first out lesbian member of Congress, the study's findings reflect conversations happening at home. 'It mirrors what I am hearing directly from trans, nonbinary, gender nonconforming folks, intersex people in Vermont and their families,' Balint said in an interview with The Advocate. 'This level of anxiety about not being able to get the care that they need and that they deserve and that will keep them alive is something that I'm hearing from a lot of my constituents.' Related: Supreme Court rules states can ban gender-affirming care for youth in U.S. v. Skrmetti 'In the last few months, when I am back in Vermont and I am at an event, inevitably, either someone who identifies as trans or nonbinary or their family will come up to me and they will tell me just how scared they are that they're not going to be able to get health care,' she said. 'And more broadly, just deep despondency that their own government is coming after them.' While Balint called it 'of course, a shocking statistic that over 20 percent would consider taking their own lives,' she said the finding was, tragically, not surprising. 'They have been told now for two and a half years in earnest by the Republican party and by Trump that they don't matter,' she said. 'That they don't care about the lives of these people, that they will say anything and do anything, and they will scapegoat them.' Balint said many constituents have expressed what it feels like 'to have your government weaponized against you,' and warned that political rhetoric has real consequences for mental health and safety. 'When they don't see us as elected officials standing with their civil rights, standing with their right to the health care that they need and deserve, of course, it looks bleak,' she said. Related: LGBTQ+ mental health crisis center says calls have surged with Donald Trump's inauguration She sees a strong connection between today's threats to transgender people's access to health care and the fight for reproductive freedom. 'I link those all the time, especially for constituents who might have a hard time understanding the lives of trans people because they don't necessarily have somebody in their family or within their close social circle,' Balint said. 'I always say it's the same thing: you're talking about people having control over their own bodies.' Balint emphasized that cutting off access to care won't make transgender people disappear; it simply pushes them into unsafe, underground options. She said, 'transgender people have always existed and always will, as part of humanity itself.' People, she noted, will go to great lengths to obtain the care they need, even if that means risking black-market treatments. Instead of forcing people into such dangerous paths, Balint urged, 'We need to stop demonizing this population who is just trying to live their lives.' If you or someone you know needs mental health resources and support, please call, text, or chat with the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline or visit for 24/7 access to free and confidential services. Trans Lifeline, designed for transgender or gender-nonconforming people, can be reached at (877) 565-8860. The lifeline also provides resources to help with other crises, such as domestic violence situations. The Trevor Project Lifeline, for LGBTQ+ youth (ages 24 and younger), can be reached at (866) 488-7386. Users can also access chat services at or text START to 678678. This article originally appeared on Advocate: Donald Trump's election triggered transgender people to contemplate DIY hormones & suicide: study RELATED Montana court strikes down ban on gender-affirming care for trans minors Hundreds protest Pittsburgh hospital for caving to Trump and denying trans youth gender-affirming care Supreme Court rules states can ban gender-affirming care for youth in U.S. v. Skrmetti
Yahoo
11-06-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
New survey reveals crucial role of family support in transgender health and wellbeing
The largest-ever survey of transgender adults in the United States confirms what trans people have long known: support, especially from family, can be a matter of life and death. Keep up with the latest in + news and politics. Released Wednesday by the Advocates for Trans Equality Education Fund, the report draws on responses from more than 84,000 trans adults nationwide and presents a complex but cautiously hopeful portrait of health and access to care. It finds that transgender people are significantly more likely to report good health when they have supportive families and the ability to live in alignment with their gender identity. Those who experienced family rejection, by contrast, reported far higher rates of suicidal ideation and attempts. Related: '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 Ankit Rastogi, A4TE's director of research. 'Attacks aimed at removing trans people from public life and limiting trans people's access to health care threaten to halt this progress.' The report, 'Health and Wellbeing: Findings from the 2022 U.S. Trans Survey,' is the third installment of a series analyzing data from the 2022 U.S. Transgender Survey. It provides one of the most detailed statistical insights into transgender people's lives in the United States at a moment when health care access for the community is increasingly politicized. Related: Compared to the 2015 version of the survey, the new data suggest improved experiences in clinical settings. Trust in providers appears to be increasing: 50 percent of respondents in 2022 said all of their health care providers knew they were transgender, up from 40 percent in 2015. Nearly three in four respondents—73 percent—who disclosed their transgender status to a provider said they were treated with respect by at least one provider, an increase from 62 percent in the previous survey. Still, structural barriers remain. Although 88 percent of respondents said they wanted gender-affirming hormone therapy, only 56 percent reported receiving it. Other access measures showed progress: 57 percent reported having a dedicated provider for transition-related care, up from 44 percent in 2015. Denial rates for gender-confirmation surgeries fell sharply, from 55 percent in 2015 to 20 percent in 2022. Related: Despite these gains, health disparities between trans adults and the general U.S. population remain pronounced. Just 66 percent of trans respondents rated their health as 'excellent,' 'very good,' or 'good,' compared to 81 percent of the general population. Insurance coverage was also lower among trans adults—87 percent versus 92 percent—and younger respondents reported worse health than older ones. While 78 percent of trans adults age 65 and older said their health was good or better, only 60 percent of those ages 18 to 24 said the same. 'Good health is the foundation that allows everyone to thrive,' said Andy Marra, CEO of A4TE. '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.'
USA Today
30-04-2025
- Health
- USA Today
Exclusive: Trump administration banned chosen names at FDA, NIH under new gender policy
Exclusive: Trump administration banned chosen names at FDA, NIH under new gender policy Show Caption Hide Caption Transgender people still face barriers to competent health care According to the U.S. Trans Survey, conducted by the National Center for Transgender Equality, a third of trans people have faced discrimination from a health care provider. Employees of the Food and Drug Administration and the National Institutes of Health are being told to use their legal names in official systems, a move the agencies say is in response to President Donald Trump's executive order that reversed protections for transgender people. The policies affect transgender employees who use a name that aligns with their gender identity rather than the sex they were assigned at birth. But the policies can also affect married women who choose to go by their maiden name at work, and people who go by middle names, initials, or shorten their first names, for example from James to Jim. The FDA and NIH policies go beyond a January directive from the Office of Personnel Management that ordered agencies to purge contracts and content related to gender identity and turn off features on email platforms 'that prompt users for their pronouns.' Both agencies are part of the Department of Health and Human Services. Media representatives for the White House, the Department of Health and Human Services, and NIH did not respond to USA TODAY's request for comment. The FDA website refers media inquiries to the Department of Health and Human Services. Memos came from FDA, NIH A March 14 memo to FDA employees obtained by USA TODAY said Department of Health and Human Services policy only allows employees to use 'full legal name' in their email signatures and cannot use pronouns or what the agency calls 'nicknames.' The memo said it was in response to President Donald Trump's Jan. 20 executive order called 'Defending Women from Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government.' The order declared the government only recognized two sexes — male and female — that it says are determined at conception. The National Institutes of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases told employees March 13 that employees had until the end of the day to remove pronouns and "nicknames" from email signatures, and that they could only use "full legal names." The memo cited guidance from the Department of Health and Human Services. The NIH sent a similar memo March 21 announcing that the agency was removing 'preferred name' information in an internal contact system in order to comply with Health and Human Services policy on 'nicknames' and the 'Defending Women' executive order. The email also warned employees against changing their legal names in the system: 'Please be aware that any change to your legal name in (the database) will trigger a new background check and a new HHS badge request.' HHS news: RFK Jr.: Chronic diseases need top billing, not infectious diseases like measles and COVID How the policies affect transgender workers "It's showing how far they're willing to go for an anti-trans agenda," said Adrian Shanker, the former deputy assistant secretary for Health and Human Services under former President Joe Biden who led LGBT policymaking. A National Institute of Health employee who spoke on the condition of anonymity out of fear of retaliation criticized the move as an attack on transgender employees that goes against the agency's tradition of trans inclusion. "They work with scientists and scientists tend to be people who understand the basics of the diversity of humans," Shanker said. He said that meant the agency historically "brought in a workforce that believe in being an inclusive work environment and I think that's one of the reasons it's so shocking." Lindsay Dhanani, an associate professor of human resource management at Rutgers University in New Jersey, said choosing a name and pronouns is a big step for transgender people, and when people around them don't use those names or pronouns, 'that causes a lot of damage for people.' She said not honoring a person's name or pronouns are some of the most common forms of transphobia, and transphobia can lead to anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, and suicide. However, 'when firms adopt policies that encourage all employees to bring their whole selves to the workplace, they tend to be more productive and may benefit by becoming an employer of choice,' a 2017 study published in the academic journal Human Resources Management found. Another NIH employee, who spoke on the condition of anonymity out of fear of losing her job, said the policy has confused colleagues who could not find her in the employee database, since she has always used her maiden name at work in order to maintain consistency in her scientific publications. Her legal name is her married name. USA TODAY requested a full copy of the Department of Health and Human Services policy on 'nicknames' that is referenced in the National Institutes of Health and Food and Drug Administration memos, but the department did not provide it, instead pointing to a press release about what the administration calls 'gender ideology.' 'This administration is bringing back common sense and restoring biological truth to the federal government,' Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. said in the release. 'The prior administration's policy of trying to engineer gender ideology into every aspect of public life is over.' Trump's executive order required agencies to make sure identification documents such as passports and visas "accurately reflect" a person's sex. The order also questioned a 2020 Supreme Court case that made it illegal for employers to fire someone for being gay or transgender, and ordered the attorney general to "correct the misapplication" of the Supreme Court decision. The Office of Personnel Management ordered agencies to "disband or cancel" employee resource groups that "promote gender ideology," and make sure that bathrooms are "designated by biological sex and not gender identity," among other things. HHS news: Robert F. Kennedy Jr. suggests compensating families of some people with autism How leaders identify themselves Websites for agencies within the Department of Health and Human Services now often show formal names for its leaders. The head of the Food and Drug Administration, who is often called Marty, is listed as Dr. Martin Makary on the official website. Kennedy's official bio lists him by his full name and briefly references him as 'Bobby Jr.' But Dr. Jayanta Bhattacharya, who went by 'Jay' in his previous academic position, is continuing to use his nickname in government. It appeared in the headline of an April 1 press release, his official biography, and multiple tweets published on official social media accounts. An essay published last week also used Bhattacharya's nickname in the signature. Dhanani criticized Bhattacharya's use of his nickname, and said it 'demonstrates that the rule isn't for everybody' and 'to me it demonstrates the intention behind the policy.' 'If the rule isn't motivated by disallowing trans people to be themselves, then it has to apply to everybody, and if you're in a leadership position, the modeling of this applying to everybody starts with you,' she said.
USA Today
30-04-2025
- Health
- USA Today
Trump administration officials banned chosen names at FDA, NIH under new gender policy
Trump administration officials banned chosen names at FDA, NIH under new gender policy Show Caption Hide Caption Transgender people still face barriers to competent health care According to the U.S. Trans Survey, conducted by the National Center for Transgender Equality, a third of trans people have faced discrimination from a health care provider. Employees of the Food and Drug Administration and the National Institutes of Health are being told to use their legal names in official systems, a move the agencies say is in response to President Donald Trump's executive order that reversed protections for transgender people. The policies affect transgender employees who use a name that aligns with their gender identity rather than the sex they were assigned at birth. But the policies can also affect married women who choose to go by their maiden name at work, and people who go by middle names, initials, or shorten their first names, for example from James to Jim. The FDA and NIH policies go beyond a January directive from the Office of Personnel Management that ordered agencies to purge contracts and content related to gender identity and turn off features on email platforms 'that prompt users for their pronouns.' Both agencies are part of the Department of Health and Human Services. Media representatives for the White House, the Department of Health and Human Services, and NIH did not respond to USA TODAY's request for comment. The FDA website refers media inquiries to the Department of Health and Human Services. Memos came from FDA, NIH A March 14 memo to FDA employees obtained by USA TODAY said Department of Health and Human Services policy only allows employees to use 'full legal name' in their email signatures and cannot use pronouns or what the agency calls 'nicknames.' The memo said it was in response to President Donald Trump's Jan. 20 executive order called 'Defending Women from Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government.' The order declared the government only recognized two sexes — male and female — that it says are determined at conception. The National Institutes of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases told employees March 13 that employees had until the end of the day to remove pronouns and "nicknames" from email signatures, and that they could only use "full legal names." The memo cited guidance from the Department of Health and Human Services. The NIH sent a similar memo March 21 announcing that the agency was removing 'preferred name' information in an internal contact system in order to comply with Health and Human Services policy on 'nicknames' and the 'Defending Women' executive order. The email also warned employees against changing their legal names in the system: 'Please be aware that any change to your legal name in (the database) will trigger a new background check and a new HHS badge request.' How the policies affect transgender workers "It's showing how far they're willing to go for an anti-trans agenda," said Adrian Shanker, the former deputy assistant secretary for Health and Human Services under former President Joe Biden who led LGBT policymaking. A National Institute of Health employee who spoke on the condition of anonymity out of fear of retaliation criticized the move as an attack on transgender employees that goes against the agency's tradition of trans inclusion. "They work with scientists and scientists tend to be people who understand the basics of the diversity of humans," Shanker said. He said that meant the agency historically "brought in a workforce that believe in being an inclusive work environment and I think that's one of the reasons it's so shocking." Lindsay Dhanani, an associate professor of human resource management at Rutgers University in New Jersey, said choosing a name and pronouns is a big step for transgender people, and when people around them don't use those names or pronouns, 'that causes a lot of damage for people.' She said not honoring a person's name or pronouns are some of the most common forms of transphobia, and transphobia can lead to anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, and suicide. However, 'when firms adopt policies that encourage all employees to bring their whole selves to the workplace, they tend to be more productive and may benefit by becoming an employer of choice,' a 2017 study published in the academic journal Human Resources Management found. Another NIH employee, who spoke on the condition of anonymity out of fear of losing her job, said the policy has confused colleagues who could not find her in the employee database, since she has always used her maiden name at work in order to maintain consistency in her scientific publications. Her legal name is her married name. USA TODAY requested a full copy of the Department of Health and Human Services policy on 'nicknames' that is referenced in the National Institutes of Health and Food and Drug Administration memos, but the department did not provide it, instead pointing to a press release about what the administration calls 'gender ideology.' 'This administration is bringing back common sense and restoring biological truth to the federal government,' Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. said in the release. 'The prior administration's policy of trying to engineer gender ideology into every aspect of public life is over.' Trump's executive order required agencies to make sure identification documents such as passports and visas "accurately reflect" a person's sex. The order also questioned a 2020 Supreme Court case that made it illegal for employers to fire someone for being gay or transgender, and ordered the attorney general to "correct the misapplication" of the Supreme Court decision. The Office of Personnel Management ordered agencies to "disband or cancel" employee resource groups that "promote gender ideology," and make sure that bathrooms are "designated by biological sex and not gender identity," among other things. How leaders identify themselves Websites for agencies within the Department of Health and Human Services now often show formal names for its leaders. The head of the Food and Drug Administration, who is often called Marty, is listed as Dr. Martin Makary on the official website. Kennedy's official bio lists him by his full name and briefly references him as 'Bobby Jr.' But Dr. Jayanta Bhattacharya, who went by 'Jay' in his previous academic position, is continuing to use his nickname in government. It appeared in the headline of an April 1 press release, his official biography, and multiple tweets published on official social media accounts. An essay published last week also used Bhattacharya's nickname in the signature. Dhanani criticized Bhattacharya's use of his nickname, and said it 'demonstrates that the rule isn't for everybody' and 'to me it demonstrates the intention behind the policy.' 'If the rule isn't motivated by disallowing trans people to be themselves, then it has to apply to everybody, and if you're in a leadership position, the modeling of this applying to everybody starts with you,' she said.
