Transgender

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[[File:2017.07.26 Protest Trans Military Ban, White House, Washington DC USA 7675 (35799478550).jpg|thumb|right|165px|Trans-rights protestors in front of the Trump White House, 2017.]]
{{gender}}{{cquote|Extremely influential people are spreading these myths and damaging rhetoric — every day you’re seeing our existence debated. Transgender people are so very real.|||{{wpl|Elliot Page}}<ref>[https://time.com/5947032/elliot-page-2/ Elliot Page Is Ready for This Moment] by Katy Steinmetz (March 16, 2021) ''Time''.</ref>}}

'''Transgender''', typically shortened to '''trans''', is an umbrella adjective describing people whose [[gender]] is other than the one they were declared to be at the time of their birth based on observation of their physical sex characteristics. Under the umbrella are trans men, trans women, and any [[non-binary]] people who personally identify with the term. Although frequently tossed into the same category, being transgender is distinct from having any [[sexual orientation]], as transgender people can identify as heterosexual, [[Homosexuality|homosexual]], [[Bisexuality|bisexual]], [[Asexuality|asexual]], or anything in between. The opposite of transgender is ''[[cisgender]]'', someone whose gender identity matches their assigned sex. 

The number of transgender people in a population is difficult to pin down due to varying definitions of who counts as transgender, the large variety of questions used to ask about transgender identity, and younger people being more likely to admit to being transgender due to changing societal attitudes.<ref>{{cite journal | last=Meerwijk | first=Esther L. | last2=Sevelius | first2=Jae M. | title=Transgender Population Size in the United States: a Meta-Regression of Population-Based Probability Samples | journal=American Journal of Public Health | publisher=American Public Health Association | volume=107 | issue=2 | year=2017 | issn=0090-0036 | doi=10.2105/ajph.2016.303578 | pages=e1–e8}}</ref> A 2022 study by the Williams Institute based in the UCLA School of Law estimated that about 0.5% of all [[United States]] adults, some 1.3 million people, and about 1.4%, or 300,000, of youth between 13- and 17-years-old identify as transgender.<ref>{{cite web | last=Allen | first=Jonathan | title=New study estimates 1.6 million in U.S. identify as transgender | website=Reuters | date=2022-06-10 | url=https://www.reuters.com/world/us/new-study-estimates-16-million-us-identify-transgender-2022-06-10/ | access-date=2024-03-14}}</ref>

Being transgender comes with a variety of unique life challenges. Transgender people often experience [[gender dysphoria]] and thus seek potentially prohibitively expensive and time-consuming treatments such as [[hormone replacement therapy]], [[gender transition]] surgery, and therapy.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Maizes |first1=Victoria |first2=Tieraona |last2=Low Dog |title=Integrative Women's Health |date=19 November 2015 |isbn=978-0190214807 |page=745 |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] |url=https://www.google.com/books/edition/Integrative_Women_s_Health/uveJCgAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&pg=PA745 |quote=Many transgender people experience gender dysphoria{{snd}}distress that results from the discordance of biological sex and experienced gender. Treatment for gender dysphoria, considered to be highly effective, includes physical, medical, and/or surgical treatments [...] some [transgender people] may not choose to transition at all.}}</ref> They also frequently face [[transphobia]], discrimination, and physical violence to the point of being over four times more likely to experience violent crimes than cisgender people.<ref name="WLA">{{cite web | title=Transgender people over four times more likely than cisgender people to be victims of violent crime | website=Williams Institute | date=2022-12-21 | url=https://williamsinstitute.law.ucla.edu/press/ncvs-trans-press-release/ | ref={{sfnref | Williams Institute | 2022}} | access-date=2024-03-14}}</ref> 

==Different types==
{{cquote|There is no one way to be transgender.|||''Trans Bodies, Trans Selves''<ref>{{Cite book |last=Erickson-Schroth |first=Laura |url=https://www.google.com/books/edition/Trans_Bodies_Trans_Selves/gN5eEAAAQBAJ |title=Trans Bodies, Trans Selves: A Resource by and for Transgender Communities |date=2022 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-009272-6 |language=en}}</ref>}}
Transgender is an adjective describing people who identify with a gender different from their [[assigned sex at birth]].<ref name="PlasticityofSexChapter8">{{Cite book |last=Fisher |first=Alessandra Daphne |title=The Plasticity of Sex. Chapter 8: Biological basis of gender identity |date=2020-01-01 |url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/B9780128159682000098 |pages=89–107 |editor-last=Legato |editor-first=Marianne J. |access-date=2023-03-31 |publisher=Academic Press ([[Elsevier]]) |language=en |isbn=978-0-12-815968-2 |last2=Cocchetti |first2=Carlotta}}</ref> This includes genders within and outside the [[gender binary]]. In the past, [[transsexual]] was an adjective generally reserved for people who have physically transitioned to living with a different gender & sex than was assumed at birth, or who desire to do so. However, it is considered outdated and offensive by most trans people due to its dehumanising usage and how it's often exclusionary (to non-op people). Almost everyone just uses the word transgender nowadays, and it is what people should use for trans people unless told otherwise by them. [[Crossdresser]]s are not trans because they do not consider themselves a gender different to that assigned at birth, they just enjoy presenting as one.

Transgender people can be of any [[sexual orientation]]. A trans person can identify as straight, gay, bisexual, asexual, or anything. 

While [[Non-binary gender|non-binary]] people do not identify as the gender they were assigned at birth, there is no consensus on whether or not non-binary people are ''ipso facto'' transgender.<ref>[https://www.mic.com/life/are-non-binary-people-trans Are Non-Binary People Trans?]. Duncan, Tracey Anne. ''Mic''. October 26, 2021.</ref> An individual non-binary person may or may not identify as transgender. Non-binary people may also experience gender dysphoria and undergo medical transition.

[[Intersex|Intersexuality]], like sexual orientation, is also a concept related to, but independent of, transgender identity. An intersex person (a person who's sex characteristics do not fall into the typical distribution) may or may not be transgender, depending on how they identify. For a brief period around about the 1990s, intersex people were considered a part of what was called the "transgendered" umbrella,<ref>Carey Goldberg (September 8, 1996). [http://archive.today/2022.04.12-190616/https://www.nytimes.com/1996/09/08/us/shunning-he-and-she-they-fight-for-respect.html "Shunning 'He' and 'She,' They Fight for Respect"]. ''The New York Times''.</ref> which helped to launch contemporary intersex activism, but trans and intersex people have generally since found it better to distinguish the two.

==Transitioning==
{{main|Gender transition}}
[[Gender transition|Transitioning]] is the modification of one's body and/or social role to better represent one's gender identity. Medically speaking, trans people may take hormones, undergo genital/facial reconstruction, and opt for cosmetic procedures to correct their primary and secondary sex characteristics. This is sometimes more precisely referred to as ''medical transition'' or ''physical transition''.
 
Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) is one of the most common medical transitions for trans people. The goal of HRT is for the change in hormones to produce a change in secondary sex characteristics. Transfeminine people transitioning may take estrogen, progestogen, or antiandrogens, while transmasculine people transitioning may take androgens, particularly testosterone. A transitioning person may also take a gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) modulator. Young people who have not completed puberty yet may take puberty blockers, which postpone the puberty process, in hopes of giving them the opportunity to explore their identity further.<ref>[https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/gender-dysphoria/in-depth/pubertal-blockers/art-20459075 Puberty blockers for transgender and gender-diverse youth]. Mayo Clinic, 14 June 2023.</ref> Contrary to some claims, puberty blockers are considered safe.<ref>[https://www.healthline.com/health/are-puberty-blockers-reversible Are Puberty Blockers Permanent? What You Should Know Before Treatment]. Healthline, 25 April 2023.</ref> Research concerning their effects is limited, and they are not currently approved by the US FDA. <ref>[https://www.reuters.com/investigates/special-report/usa-transyouth-care/ As more transgender children seek medical care, families confront many unknowns]. Reuters, 6 Oct. 2022.</ref>

Genital reconstruction, also known as gender confirmation surgery or gender reassignment surgery, was pioneered in the early 20th century. It is colloquially called "bottom surgery", as it concerns the bottom half of the body. The construction of a neovagina is called vaginoplasty, while the construction of a penis is called phalloplasty. Many transmasculine people seek to get a mastectomy (the removal of breasts), which is often called "top surgery". 

Not all trans people want to undergo all procedures. A "non-op" trans person is a person who chooses not to undergo these kinds of surgeries. This is distinct from "pre-op", which generally describes a trans person who intends to seek such procedures in the future. Non-op trans people often still take hormones, because their secondary sex characteristics may be the source of dysphoria. For example, transmasculine people can opt to wear a binder (a garment that hides the breasts), and transfeminine people can wear breast forms. This may come regardless of when or if medical transition is sought.

Trans people typically also ''socially transition''. Social transitioning is the process of transitioning in public and personal life. This may include changing their clothes, makeup, or hair, or using different names or pronouns. Some trans people change their name or seek to change the gender that appears on legal documents. It is considered extremely offensive to misgender a transgender person, which is to refer to them by the wrong pronouns or gender. It is also extremely offensive to deadname a transgender person, which is to refer to them by a pre-transition name they no longer use.

On the chance that someone who is transitioning decides that they don't want to transition at a given time, they may choose to detransition.<ref group=note>The existence of detransitioners has often been weaponized by transphobes. Detransition is a rare occurrence that is presented as if it were much, much more common than it is by some bad actors. However, it is a real thing that should be respected and supported.</ref><ref>[https://slate.com/human-interest/2021/02/detransition-movement-star-ex-gay-explained.html An “Ex-Detransitioner” Disavows the Anti-Trans Movement She Helped Spark] Urquhart, Evan. Slate, 1 Feb. 2021.</ref> Detransition usually sees the person stopping medical and social transitions, and may involve efforts to reverse the effects of medical transition. This may be caused by a range of factors, such as external pressure from family, the experience of [[transphobia]], or further exploration and/or change of their gender identity.<ref>{{oa}} {{Cite journal |last=Turban |first=Jack L. |last2=Loo |first2=Stephanie S. |last3=Almazan |first3=Anthony N. |last4=Keuroghlian |first4=Alex S. |date=2021-06-01 |title=Factors Leading to 'Detransition' Among Transgender and Gender Diverse People in the United States: A Mixed-Methods Analysis |url=https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8213007/ |journal=LGBT Health |volume=8 |issue=4 |pages=273–280 |doi=10.1089/lgbt.2020.0437 |issn=2325-8292 |pmid=33794108}}</ref>

==Biological contributors to gender identity==
While gender identity was originally given the ''[[tabula rasa]]'' approach by the medical professions, evidence has emerged that suggests, at the very least, that for a significant portion of people, it is significantly influenced by biological factors. Much of the scientific community now considers both gender identity and sexual orientation as influenced by genetics and ''in utero'' hormonal conditions.<ref name="PlasticityofSexChapter8"/> Couple this with the non-existent efficacy of [[conversion therapy]], the evidence seems to suggest that this phenomenon is far from a "choice". 

===Genetics===
A decently [[Sample size|sampled]] 2008 study in ''Biological Psychiatry'' (an [[Elsevier]] journal published on behalf of the Society of Biological Psychiatry) analyzed the [[gene]]s of transgender women (who were usually already in the process of gender transition), as compared to cisgender men. This study found that trans women had longer androgen receptors (which are activated when binding androgens such as DHT or testosterone) at repeat lengths; this is associated with less efficient testosterone signalling.<ref>{{oa}} {{cite journal |authors=Hare L, Bernard P, Sánchez FJ, Baird PN, Vilain E, Kennedy T, Harley VR |date=January 2009 |title=Androgen receptor repeat length polymorphism associated with male-to-female transsexualism |journal=Biological Psychiatry |others=Society of Biological Psychiatry |url=https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3402034/ |publisher=Elsevier |volume=65 |issue=1 |pages=93–6 |doi=10.1016/j.biopsych.2008.08.033 |pmid=18962445}}</ref><ref>(October 26, 2008). [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/7689007.stm "Transsexual gene link identified"]. ''BBC News''.</ref> The researchers for the 2008 study suggested that this difference may have a direct impact on the formation of gender identity.<ref>Helen Carter (October 27, 2008). [https://www.abc.net.au/science/articles/2008/10/27/2401941.htm "Transsexual study reveals genetic link"]. ''ABC Science''.</ref>

A review of the scientific literature on the possible biological origins of individual transgender status was published in ''Behavior Genetics'', a Springer journal, in February 2018. Among other research, it considered [[twin studies]].<ref name="PoldermanBehavGen2018">{{oa}} {{cite journal |authors=Polderman ''et al.''|date=February 2018|title=The Biological Contributions to Gender Identity and Gender Diversity: Bringing Data to the Table|journal=''Behavior Genetics''|others=International Gender Diversity Genomics Consortium|url= https://research.vu.nl/ws/files/83595397/Polderman2018_Article_TheBiologicalContributionsToGe.pdf |publisher=Springer |volume=48 |issue= |pages=95–108 |doi=10.1007/s10519-018-9889-z |pmid=29460079}}</ref>{{efn|Past case reports tended to find that, in identical twin pairings where one sibling was transgender, the other would be as well at markedly higher rates than usual; this did not tend to be the case for non-identical twins.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Heylens |first=Gunter |last2=De Cuypere |first2=Griet |last3=Zucker |first3=Kenneth J. |last4=Schelfaut |first4=Cleo |last5=Elaut |first5=Els |last6=Vanden Bossche |first6=Heidi |last7=De Baere |first7=Elfride |last8=T'Sjoen |first8=Guy |date=2012 |title=Gender identity disorder in twins: a review of the case report literature |url=https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22146048/ |journal=The Journal of Sexual Medicine |volume=9 |issue=3 |pages=751–757 |doi=10.1111/j.1743-6109.2011.02567.x |issn=1743-6109 |pmid=22146048}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Diamond |first=Milton |date=2013 |title=Transsexuality Among Twins: Identity Concordance, Transition, Rearing, and Orientation |url=http://www.hawaii.edu/PCSS/biblio/articles/2010to2014/2013-transsexuality.html |journal=International Journal of Transgenderism |language=en |volume=14 |issue=1 |pages=24–38 |doi=10.1080/15532739.2013.750222 |issn=1553-2739}}</ref>}} The authors suggested that while genetics provide a partial explanation for transgender status, other elements can also be a contributor,<ref name="PoldermanBehavGen2018"/> writing in their conclusion:

{{cquote|This review of existing family and twin studies summarizes significant and consistent evidence for the role of innate genetic factors in the development of both cisgender and transgender identities, a negligible role for shared environmental factors, and a small potential role for unique environmental factors. Heritability estimates are consistent with other behavioral and personality traits, which generally fall in the range of 30−60%.<ref name="PoldermanBehavGen2018"/><ref>Elyas Arvell (credited as Elysa Carr) (December 8, 2019). [https://massivesci.com/articles/genetic-gwas-gender-identity-spectrum-binary-stigma/ "Irresponsible scientific research and media portrayals are hurting trans people. Do better"]. ''Massive Science''.</ref>}}

Keeping in mind, of course, the general limitations to {{wpl|twins studies}}, and the technical meaning of [[heritability]]. The number "30–60%" is being applied to the statistical {{wpl|variance||,}} not the trait itself (this common misinterpretation of heritability estimates often fuels notions of [[biological determinism]]). 

One multicenter study with decent sample sizes, published in September 2018 by ''The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism'' (which is, in turn, published by the Endocrine Society), examined the associations between genetics (specifically, genes that deal with processing for sex hormones like estrogen and testosterone) and gender dysphoria. It found that certain [[allele]]s and genotypes were significantly over-represented in trans women with gender dysphoria, when compared to cisgender men. The authors concluded that gender dysphoria therefore "may have an {{wpl|oligogenic inheritance|oligogenic component|".}}<ref name="ForemanFebruary2019">{{oa}} {{cite journal |authors=Foreman ''et al.''|date=September 2018|title=Genetic Link Between Gender Dysphoria and Sex Hormone Signaling|journal=''The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism''|others=Oxford Academic|url=https://academic.oup.com/jcem/article/104/2/390/5104458|publisher=The Endocrine Society|volume=104|issue=2|pages=390–396|doi=10.1210/jc.2018-01105|pmid=30247609}}</ref><ref>(October 3, 2018). [https://www.hudson.org.au/news/written-in-dna-study-reveals-potential-biological-basis-for-transgender/ "Written in DNA—study reveals potential biological basis for transgender"]. Hudson Institute of Medical Research.</ref>

A small study, published in 2019 by ''Scientific Reports'' (a ''[[Nature (journal)|Nature]]'' journal), found through [[DNA]] analysis that 21 very rare variants in 19 genes in estrogen signaling pathways of the brain were present in transgender individuals with [[gender dysphoria]].<ref>{{oa}} Theisen, J. Graham; Sundaram, Viji; Filchak, Mary S.; Chorich, Lynn P.; Sullivan, Megan E.; Knight, James; Kim, Hyung-Goo; Layman, Lawrence C. (2019-12-27). [https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-019-53500-y "The Use of Whole Exome Sequencing in a Cohort of Transgender Individuals to Identify Rare Genetic Variants"]. ''Scientific Reports''. 9 (1): 20099. doi:10.1038/s41598-019-53500-y. ISSN 2045-2322.</ref><ref>[https://neurosciencenews.com/transgender-genetics-15642/ "Gene variants provide insight into brain and body incongruence in transgender"]. Neuroscience News. February 5, 2020. Retrieved March 30, 2023.</ref> The paper represents preliminary evidence, especially compared with other studies mentioned above. Commenting on the study, geneticist Ricki Lewis wrote:<ref>Ricki Lewis (March 22, 2018). [https://dnascience.plos.org/2018/03/22/20-gene-variants-and-transgender-identity-what-does-it-mean/ "20 Gene Variants and Transgender Identity: What Does It Mean?"]. ''DNA Science''. PLOS Blogs.</ref>

{{cquote|Would the selected rare gene variants show up among the participants, and if so, would that trend persist in a much larger group? Then those variants might be associated with some aspects of transgender identity. But it's a long way from association to correlation to causation. Some comments from readers of the ''[[News UK#The Times|Times]]'' piece [about the study] pointed out the small sample, but conducting a pilot study is how science works. Funding agencies aren't about to fork over the pounds or dollars for a large-scale investigation without a preliminary look-see.}}

One may notice an underdetermination of mechanism across various research in this regard; notice how '''none''' of this research states something as simple as there being a "transgender gene" or that the presence or absence of certain genes directly determines one's status as transgender. All this research suggests is that there is a marked statistical association, that could produce several plausible biochemical mechanisms — all of which could very well lead to the sort of perceptual and psychological experiences many transgender people report. This, of course, doesn't rule out the idea that the category or identity marker of "being transgender" is itself not [[social construction|socially constructed]]. It is possible that the ''conceptual category'' is socially and historically contingent, while the ''underlying phenomena that the individual experiences themselves are not''. This just being another example of the [[fallacy of misplaced concreteness|map/territory distinction]].  

Overall, there is considerable evidence that genetics plays a notable role in gender identity. The body of scientific research examining the matter, however, continues to expand.<ref name="PlasticityofSexChapter8"/><ref name="PoldermanBehavGen2018"/> As well, the language used in some of the aforementioned research often conflates having gender dysphoria with being transgender, which are distinct phenomena. Regardless, it is of no controversy to suggest that for many trans people, the experience of gender dysphoria itself is still a causal factor in their decision to identify as transgender. It is just not the case that one has to have gender dysphoria, to be classified as, or to rightfully identify as, being transgender. However, some individuals reject this, even sometimes being transgender themselves (see: [[transmedicalism]] for that point of view).

===Hormones===
{{cquote|[One] theory regarding the biological basis of gender dysphoria is based on the fact that differentiation of the genitals and sexual differentiation of the brain take place in different periods of pregnancy. In fact, there are two critical periods in human development characterized by higher levels of testosterone in boys than in girls: midpregnancy and the first 3 months after birth. These peaks of testosterone, together with functional changes in steroid receptors, may be involved in the permanent programming and organization structures and circuits in a boy's brain. The sexual determination of the gonads and the formation of external genitalia take place months before the sexual differentiation of the brain in midpregnancy; the two processes might be quite independent from one another.|||<ref name="PlasticityofSexChapter8"/>}}

[[Pregnancy|Prenatal]] diethylstilbestrol (DES) exposure might influence the formation of a transgender identity. DES is essentially a synthetic super-estrogen that many pregnant American mothers were prescribed throughout a considerable swath of the 20th century under the premise that it could reduce pregnancy complications (e.g. [[miscarriage]]s and premature [[birth]]s).<ref>Hugh Easton (November 30, 2021). [https://www.hormonesmatter.com/maternal-des-male-sexual-development/ "Maternal DES and Male Sexual Development"]. ''Hormones Matter''.</ref> As it turns out, this can affect the child, and it is only rarely prescribed in recent decades. One early 2000s survey found that "DES sons" (people [[assigned male at birth]], whose mothers took DES while they were in the womb) were significantly more likely to be transgender, gay, or [[intersex]], relative to the general population.<ref>[https://desaction.org/lgbtq/ "LGBTQ+ and DES Exposure"]. DES Action.</ref><ref>{{oa}} Scott P. Kerlin. DES Sons International Network. [https://www.researchgate.net/publication/268256137_PRENATAL_EXPOSURE_TO_DIETHYLSTILBESTROL_DES_IN_MALES_AND_GENDER-RELATED_DISORDERS_RESULTS_FROM_A_5-YEAR_STUDY "Prenatal Exposure to Diethylstilbestrol (DES) in Males and Gender-Related Disorders: Results from a 5-Year Study"]. ''International Behavioral Development Symposium''. [https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11682-019-00121-8 Cited in Altinay and Anand (2019)].</ref>

Some research has suggested that transgender men are more likely — even if they have never undergone physical gender transition before — to have polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), a hormone condition, compared to the general population.<ref name="GezerEtAl2022">{{Cite journal |last=Gezer |first=Emre |last2=Piro |first2=Bejda |last3=Cantürk |first3=Zeynep |last4=Çetinarslan |first4=Berrin |last5=Sözen |first5=Mehmet |last6=Selek |first6=Alev |last7=Polat Işik |first7=Aslıhan |last8=Seal |first8=Leighton John |date=2022-11-01 |title=The Comparison of Gender Dysphoria, Body Image Satisfaction and Quality of Life Between Treatment-Naive Transgender Males With and Without Polycystic Ovary Syndrome |url=https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/abs/10.1089/trgh.2021.0061 |journal=Transgender Health |volume=7 |issue=6 |pages=514–520 |doi=10.1089/trgh.2021.0061 |issn=2688-4887 |pmid=36644121}}</ref><ref>{{oa}} {{Cite journal |authors=Tsuyoshi ''et al.'' |date=December 2006|title=Association between polycystic ovary syndrome and female-to-male transsexuality  |url=https://academic.oup.com/humrep/article/22/4/1011/696190 |journal=Human Reproduction|volume=22 |issue=4 |pages=1011–1016 |doi=10.1093/humrep/del474 |pmid=17166864}}</ref> While PCOS is typically quite distressing for cis women (it can, e.g., cause them to grow facial hair or experience reproductive problems), certain aspects of it can actually reduce gender dysphoria (or in fact even generate gender ''euphoria'') for trans men.<ref name="GezerEtAl2022"/><ref>Sherronda J. Brown (October 26th, 2022). [https://prismreports.org/2022/10/26/pcos-gender-euphoria-trans-people/ "How PCOS can create gender euphoria for trans and nonbinary people"]. ''Prism Reports''.</ref>

===Brains===
Neuroscience studies of trans people increasingly suggest that gender identity is in large part a [[biological]] phenomenon, as transgender individuals' brains have key structural differences, even before beginning hormone replacement therapy.<ref>{{oa}} [https://academic.oup.com/jcem/article/85/5/2034/2660626 "Male-to-Female Transsexuals Have Female Neuron Numbers in a Limbic Nucleus"], ''The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism'', May 2000.</ref><ref>Jessica Hamzelou, [http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn20032-transsexual-differences-caught-on-brain-scan.html "Transsexual differences caught on brain scan"], ''New Scientist'', 26 January 2011.</ref> Indeed, hormone therapy could have otherwise represented a [[confounding factor]], and so, many transgender brain studies specifically recruit those who haven't begun receiving HRT (except studies specifically examining the effects of HRT on the brain).<ref>Shawna Williams (March 1, 2018). [https://www.the-scientist.com/features/are-the-brains-of-transgender-people-different-from-those-of-cisgender-people-30027 "Are the Brains of Transgender People Different from Those of Cisgender People?"] (free registration required). ''The Scientist''. LabX Media Group. Quote: "In order to avoid confounding effects, many studies comparing the brains of trans- and cisgender people only include transgender subjects who have not yet begun treatments to bring levels of key sex hormones in line with those of their experienced genders. But some groups are specifically exploring the effects that these treatments might have on the brain."</ref> More precisely, tensor imaging studies suggest that while much of the brain structure of a transgender person matches their "[[biological sex]]", certain sections of the transgender brain may contain elements that are closer to the "biologically opposite sex".<ref name="ArchSexBehav2016Review"/>

As for what causes this?  Scientists don't have a clear consensus, but the prevailing theory is that during development, a number of extremely complex systems are at play as the fetus grows, and something interferes with the whole process.  Genes play a role, but only in the chance of developing along certain paths rather than defining those paths.  Just as residual testosterone in the mother's womb appears to alter a developing fetus's future sexuality,<ref>{{oa}} [https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3296090/ Prenatal endocrine influences on sexual orientation and on sexually differentiated childhood behavior]. ''Frontiers in Neuroendocrinology'' ([[Elsevier]]).</ref> various health conditions of the mother can impact the chance of a fetus developing a different brain structure.  What's more, it appears that endocrine disrupting chemicals such as BPA (which is found '''everywhere''' these days) cause the "feminization" of male fetal brains.<ref>[https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0013935108001667 Effects of developmental exposure to bisphenol A on brain and behavior in mice]</ref> 

A 2016 review found that: "Untreated MtFs and FtMs who have an early onset of their gender dysphoria and are sexually oriented to persons of their natal sex show a distinctive brain morphology, reflecting a brain phenotype. These phenotypes are different from those of heterosexual males or females; the differences affect the right hemisphere and cortical structures underlying body perception." This is separate from the effects on brain chemistry of treatment with sex hormones, which causes "dramatic effects on the gray and white matter after short- to medium-term treatments but the long-term effects on the brain require evaluation".<ref name="ArchSexBehav2016Review">{{oa}} [https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4987404/ A Review of the Status of Brain Structure Research in Transsexualism], Antonio Guillamon, Carme Junque and Esther Gómez-Gil. Archives of Sexual Behavior. 2016; 45: 1615–1648. Published online 2016 Jun 2. doi: 10.1007/s10508-016-0768-5</ref> This indicates a biological basis without anything as reductive as having a male brain in a female body.

[[Homosexuality]] has also been associated with sex-atypical brain structures, so how does that factor into this? One 2017 paper in ''Scientific Reports'' offers some distinction. The authors wrote: "Our findings suggest that the neuroanatomical signature of transgenderism is related to brain areas processing the perception of self and body ownership, whereas homosexuality seems to be associated with less cerebral sexual differentiation."<ref>{{oa}} {{Cite journal |last=Burke |first=Sarah M. |last2=Manzouri |first2=Amir H. |last3=Savic |first3=Ivanka |date=2017-12-20 |title=Structural connections in the brain in relation to gender identity and sexual orientation |url=https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-017-17352-8 |journal=Scientific Reports |publisher=[[Nature (journal)|Nature]] |language=en |volume=7 |issue=1 |pages=17954 |doi=10.1038/s41598-017-17352-8 |issn=2045-2322}}</ref> See also the above excerpt from the 2016 review. By one interpretation, this is consistent with {{wpl|transfeminist}} Julia Serano's description that her "brain expects her body to be female." She elaborates on her conception: that we have "subconscious sex and conscious (physical) sex [that] combine to form gender identity — and for the overwhelming majority of us, the two are the same."<ref>Sandra Alland (August 15, 2007). [https://xtramagazine.com/culture/books-whipping-girl-by-julia-serano-18190 "BOOKS: Whipping Girl by Julia Serano"]. ''Xtra Magazine''.</ref>{{efn|See also: [[Intrinsic Inclinations Model]].}} Further, a 2019 study demonstrated a potential mechanism by which hormone replacement therapy can increase sense of body self-ownership in transgender people, and reduce anatomical markers for gender dysphoria in the brain.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Kilpatrick |first=Lisa A. |last2=Holmberg |first2=Mats |last3=Manzouri |first3=Amirhosein |last4=Savic |first4=Ivanka |date=2019 |title=Cross sex hormone treatment is linked with a reversal of cerebral patterns associated with gender dysphoria to the baseline of cisgender controls |url=https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30991464/ |journal=The European Journal of Neuroscience |volume=50 |issue=8 |pages=3269–3281 |doi=10.1111/ejn.14420 |issn=1460-9568 |pmid=30991464}}</ref>

===Other traits===
A number of other characteristics with a probable or certain inborn component are also associated with gender dysphoria and/or transgender identity, in some way or another. These include non-[[heterosexual]]ity, [[autism]], intersex conditions, and even {{wpl|Ehlers-Danlos syndromes}} (a group of connective tissue disorders). The overlap between these does not intrinsically suggest a shared innate root, but it is one possible explanation.

Large surveys of transgender people in the United States have shown that they are significantly more likely to have a non-heterosexual [[sexual identity]] ([[lesbian]], gay, [[bisexual]], [[asexual]], [[pansexual]], [[queer]], etc.) than the baseline. This holds true regardless of whether you interpret their answers based on their assigned sex at birth or their gender identity.<ref>Harrison, Jack. [https://www.thetaskforce.org/wonky-wednesday-trans-people-sexual-orientation/ "Wonky Wednesday: Trans People & Sexual Orientation"]. National LGBTQ Task Force (citing the 2015 National Transgender Discrimination Survey).</ref><ref>[https://www.thetaskforce.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/ntds_full.pdf Injustice at Every Turn: A Report of the National Transgender Discrimination Survey], via the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force Foundation. Pages 28-29. (2019)</ref><ref name="NTDS2015">James, S. E., Herman, J. L., Rankin, S., Keisling, M., Mottet, L., & Anafi, M. (2016). [https://transequality.org/sites/default/files/docs/usts/USTS-Full-Report-Dec17.pdf "The Report of the 2015 U.S. Transgender Survey"]. The National Center for Transgender Equality. [https://web.archive.org/web/20230328051800/https://transequality.org/sites/default/files/docs/usts/USTS-Full-Report-Dec17.pdf (Archived)].</ref>{{rp|59}}

The autistic community and the transgender community also have a significant overlap.<ref>Kallitsounaki, Aimilia; Williams, David M. (2022-05-20). [https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10803-022-05517-y "Autism Spectrum Disorder and Gender Dysphoria/Incongruence. A systematic Literature Review and Meta-Analysis"]. ''Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders''. doi:[https://doi.org/10.1007%2Fs10803-022-05517-y 10.1007/s10803-022-05517-y]. ISSN 1573-3432 1573-3432.</ref><ref>Dattaro, Laura (September 14, 2020). [https://www.spectrumnews.org/news/largest-study-to-date-confirms-overlap-between-autism-and-gender-diversity/ "Largest study to date confirms overlap between autism and gender diversity"]. ''Spectrum News''. Simons Foundation. Retrieved February 3, 2023.</ref> The cause for this overlap with autism isn't certain; one proposal is that it's an outgrowth of autistic resistance to identity restrictive social norms; if true, the actual transgender population may be undercounted.<ref>Finn V. Gratton (12 October 2019). [https://books.google.com/books?id=4_qXDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA110 "Working with Families"]. ''[https://books.google.com/books/about/Supporting_Transgender_Autistic_Youth_an.html?id=4_qXDwAAQBAJ Supporting Transgender Autistic Youth and Adults: A Guide for Professionals and Families]''. Jessica Kingsley Publishers. p. 110. ISBN 978-1-78450-830-2.</ref><ref name="LancetCommission"/> Cisgender non-heterosexuals also have overlap with the autistic community (and this constitutes multiple overlapping traits), and could also be undercounted if that theory is true.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Bertelli |first1=Marco O. |title=Autism Spectrum Disorder |date=2022 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4mtvEAAAQBAJ&pg=PA391 |work=Textbook of Psychiatry for Intellectual Disability and Autism Spectrum Disorder |pages=391 |editor-last=Bertelli |editor-first=Marco O. |place=Cham |publisher=Springer International Publishing |language=en |doi=10.1007/978-3-319-95720-3_16 |isbn=978-3-319-95720-3 |quote=Persons with [autism spectrum disorder] and/or other neurodevelopmental problems are more likely than the general population to have transgender identity, non-heterosexual sexual orientation, and other gender non-conformities. |access-date=2022-06-08 |last2=Azeem |first2=Muhammad Waqar |last3=Underwood |first3=Lisa |last4=Scattoni |first4=Maria Luisa |last5=Persico |first5=Antonio M. |last6=Ricciardello |first6=Arianna |last7=Sappok |first7=Tanja |last8=Bergmann |first8=Thomas |last9=Keller |first9=Roberto |editor2-last=Deb |editor2-first=Shoumitro (Shoumi) |editor3-last=Munir |editor3-first=Kerim |editor4-last=Hassiotis |editor4-first=Angela}}</ref><ref name="LancetCommission">{{oa}} {{Cite journal |last1=Lord |first1=Catherine |last2=Charman |first2=Tony |last3=Havdahl |first3=Alexandra |last4=Carbone |first4=Paul |last5=Anagnostou |first5=Evdokia |last6=Boyd |first6=Brian |last7=Carr |first7=Themba |last8=de Vries |first8=Petrus J |last9=Dissanayake |first9=Cheryl |last10=Divan |first10=Gauri |last11=Freitag |first11=Christine M |display-authors=10 |date=January 2022 |title=The Lancet Commission on the future of care and clinical research in autism |url=https://fhi.brage.unit.no/fhi-xmlui/bitstream/handle/11250/2975811/Lancet+Commission.pdf?sequence=1 |journal=The Lancet |volume=399 |issue=10321 |pages=299 |doi=10.1016/s0140-6736(21)01541-5 |pmid=34883054 |hdl=11250/2975811 |s2cid=244917920 |issn=0140-6736 |quote=Gender non-conformity, or gender variance, including transgender identity and non-heterosexual sexual orientation, is more common in autistic individuals (and those with other neurodevelopmental conditions) than in the general population. This difference might be part of a different concept of self, less reliance on or reference to social norms, or part of a neurodiverse lived experience of (and outlook on) the world. |via=[[Norwegian Institute of Public Health]]}}</ref><ref name="PediatricsLGBTAutism"> {{oa}} {{Cite journal |last1=Graham Holmes |first1=Laura |last2=Ames |first2=Jennifer L. |last3=Massolo |first3=Maria L. |last4=Nunez |first4=Denise M. |last5=Croen |first5=Lisa A. |date=2022-04-01 |title=Improving the Sexual and Reproductive Health and Health Care of Autistic People |url=https://publications.aap.org/pediatrics/article/149/Supplement%204/e2020049437J/185641/Improving-the-Sexual-and-Reproductive-Health-and |journal=Pediatrics |publisher=American Academy of Pediatrics |volume=149 |issue=Supplement 4 |pages=e2020049437J |doi=10.1542/peds.2020-049437J |pmid=35363286 |issn=0031-4005 |quote=A substantial proportion of autistic adolescents and adults are LGBTQIA+. Autistic people are more likely to be transgender or gender nonconforming compared with non-autistic people, and findings from a recent autism registry study suggest that among autistic people able to self-report on a survey, up to 18% of men and 43% of women may be sexual minorities. |doi-access=free}}</ref>

There is a suggestion, based on some research, that transgender people are more likely to have Ehlers-Danlos syndromes (EDS). This can cause complications for those seeking gender transition surgeries. A May 2022 study published in ''Plastic and Aesthetic Research'' examined the prevalence of these syndromes in patients seeking such surgeries. The authors concluded that the prevalence of EDS in their patient population was 2.6%, being "132 times the highest reported prevalence in the general population."<ref>{{oa}} {{Cite journal |last=Najafian |first=Alireza |last2=Cylinder |first2=Isabel |last3=Jedrzejewski |first3=Breanna |last4=Sineath |first4=Craig |last5=Sikora |first5=Zbigniew |last6=Martin |first6=Leigh H. |last7=Dugi |first7=Daniel |last8=Dy |first8=Geolani W. |last9=Berli |first9=Jens Urs |date=2022-05-13 |title=Ehlers-Danlos syndrome: prevalence and outcomes in gender affirming surgery - a single institution experience |url=https://parjournal.net/article/view/4858 |journal=Plastic and Aesthetic Research |language=en |volume=9 |issue=5 |pages=35 |doi=10.20517/2347-9264.2021.89 |issn=2347-9264}}</ref> Another 2022 paper, in ''SAGE Open Medicine'', reported that of "the 166 total adolescents seen in [a] pediatric multidisciplinary Ehlers–Danlos Syndrome clinic during the study period, 17% reported gender dysphoria."<ref>{{oa}} {{Cite journal |last=Jones |first=Jordan T. |last2=Black |first2=William R. |last3=Moser |first3=Christine N. |last4=Rush |first4=Eric T. |last5=Malloy Walton |first5=Lindsey |date=January–December 2022 |title=Gender dysphoria in adolescents with Ehlers–Danlos syndrome |url=https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/20503121221146074 |journal=SAGE Open Medicine |language=en |volume=10 |pages=205031212211460 |doi=10.1177/20503121221146074 |issn=2050-3121 |pmid=36600979}}</ref>

Two practitioners in transgender medicine (a general physician and a surgeon) have discussed their observations regarding a statistically significant EDS-transgender link within their patient communities.<ref>William Powers (April 7, 2021). [https://www.reddit.com/r/DrWillPowers/comments/mmbg3t/there_is_a_statistically_anomalous_amount_of/ "There is a statistically anomalous amount of Ehler's Danlos Syndrome / Hypermobility Spectrum Disorder in my MTF community. I literally can't ignore it anymore."] Reddit.</ref><ref>(August 9, 2020). [https://www.reddit.com/r/Transgender_Surgeries/comments/i690po/comment/g0w0m6t/ "SRS and Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome"]. /r/Transgender_Surgeries.</ref> EDS patients are also more than seven times as likely as the general population to be autistic, according to a 2016 ''BMC Psychiatry'' paper, suggesting another set of multiple overlapping traits.<ref>{{oa}} {{Cite journal |last=Cederlöf |first=Martin |last2=Larsson |first2=Henrik |last3=Lichtenstein |first3=Paul |last4=Almqvist |first4=Catarina |last5=Serlachius |first5=Eva |last6=Ludvigsson |first6=Jonas F. |date=2016-07-04 |title=Nationwide population-based cohort study of psychiatric disorders in individuals with Ehlers–Danlos syndrome or hypermobility syndrome and their siblings |url=https://bmcpsychiatry.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12888-016-0922-6 |journal=BMC Psychiatry |volume=16 |issue=1 |pages=207 |doi=10.1186/s12888-016-0922-6 |issn=1471-244X |pmid=27377649}}</ref>

One ''Nature Reviews Urology'' paper estimated gender dysphoria incidence in intersex people at 8.5–20%, that being much higher than the general population.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Furtado |first=Paulo Sampaio |last2=Moraes |first2=Felipe |last3=Lago |first3=Renata |last4=Barros |first4=Luciana Oliveira |last5=Toralles |first5=Maria Betânia |last6=Barroso |first6=Ubirajara |date=November 2012 |title=Gender dysphoria associated with disorders of sex development |url=https://www.nature.com/articles/nrurol.2012.182 |journal=Nature Reviews Urology |language=en |volume=9 |issue=11 |pages=620–627 |doi=10.1038/nrurol.2012.182 |issn=1759-4820}}</ref> A 2022 paper suggested that Klinefelter syndrome (KS or XXY) may be several times more common among transgender women compared to the general population, though this study was limited by the fact that KS is generally under-diagnosed.<ref>{{oa}} {{Cite journal |last=Liang |first=Bonnie |last2=Cheung |first2=Ada S. |last3=Nolan |first3=Brendan J. |date=July 2022 |title=Clinical features and prevalence of Klinefelter syndrome in transgender individuals: A systematic review |url=https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/cen.14734 |journal=Clinical Endocrinology |volume=97 |issue=1 |pages=3–12 |doi=10.1111/cen.14734 |issn=0300-0664 |pmid=35394664}}</ref> Coming from the other direction, a small 2022 survey of KS patients found that they may have a significantly higher gender dysphoria prevalence.<ref>{{oa}} {{Cite journal |last=Cai |first=Valerie |last2=Yap |first2=Tet |date=June 2022 |title=Gender Identity and Questioning in Klinefelter's Syndrome |url=https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/bjpsych-open/article/gender-identity-and-questioning-in-klinefelters-syndrome/962A0A5B9ADF6785CF9BB85005F8FF40 |journal=BJPsych Open |language=en |volume=8 |issue=S1 |pages=S44–S45 |doi=10.1192/bjo.2022.176 |issn=2056-4724}}</ref>

==Discrimination==
{{main|Transphobia}}
===Statistics===
As with any other form of discrimination, prejudice against transgender people has a range of forms and levels of severity.

A report by the Williams Institute, published in April 2022, found that transgender college students in the US were significantly more likely (over 33%) to report "bullying, harassment, or assault" against them for their identity, and to report that "lifetime adverse treatment at school impacted their academic success" (about 25%). 32% reported that they had faced unfair treatment by teachers.<ref>Kerith J. Conron, Kathryn K. O'Neill, and Luis A. Vasquez (April 2022). [https://williamsinstitute.law.ucla.edu/publications/transgender-higher-ed/ "Educational Experiences of Transgender People"]. ''The Williams Institute'' (UCLA School of Law).</ref>

The results of the ''2015 U.S. Transgender Survey'' yielded a wealth of statistics on anti-transgender discrimination in the United States. Among other things, it founded that 10% had a family member act violently towards them for being transgender, 54% endured verbal harassment while in K-12 schooling, and 24% endured physical assault while in K-12 schooling. Respondents were more likely to be impoverished or homeless than the general population, with the fact that 8% had been kicked out of the house for being transgender being a probable contributor.<ref name="NTDS2015"/> 2021 data collected by the United States Census Bureau found higher rates of food insufficiency among transgender people.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Parks |first=Casey |date=2022-01-19 |title=Transgender people are three times as likely to go hungry, new census data shows |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2021/12/31/transgender-food-insecurity/ |access-date=2024-03-18 |work=Washington Post |language=en-US |issn=0190-8286}}</ref><ref>(December 14, 2021). [https://williamsinstitute.law.ucla.edu/press/trans-food-insuff-press-release/ "Transgender people three times more likely than cisgender people to face food insufficiency during the pandemic"]. ''Williams Institute''.</ref>

The Office for Victims of Crime, a subdivision of the US Department of Justice, reported in 2014 that over half of transgender people have experienced at least one instance of sexual abuse or sexual assault.<ref>(June 2014). [https://web.archive.org/web/20241228015214/https://ovc.ojp.gov/sites/g/files/xyckuh226/files/pubs/forge/sexual_numbers.html "Responding to Transgender Victims of Sexual Assault"]. ''Office for Victims of Crime'' (US Department of Justice). [https://archive.ph/9M5yx (Second archived version)].</ref> Among transgender or nonbinary youth in particular, a 2019 study (based on 2017 data) found higher rates of sexual assault victimization than either cisgender girls or boys; the study also found an association between anti-trans restrictions on restroom or locker room access and sexual assaults, with that effect being especially pronounced on transgender girls although transgender boys experienced higher sexual assault victimization rates overall.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Murchison |first=Gabriel R. |last2=Agénor |first2=Madina |last3=Reisner |first3=Sari L. |last4=Watson |first4=Ryan J. |date=2019 |title=School Restroom/Locker Rooms Restrictions and Sexual Assault Risk Among Transgender Youth |url=https://publications.aap.org/pediatrics/article/143/6/e20182902/76816/School-Restroom-and-Locker-Room-Restrictions-and?autologincheck=redirected |journal=Pediatrics |language=en |volume=143 |issue=6 |doi=10.1542/peds.2018-2902 |issn=2018-2902 |pmid=31061223}}</ref> Another study by the Williams Institute, published in 2021, found that transgender people in the US were altogether over four times as likely to be the victim of a crime compared to cisgender people.<ref name="WLA"/> In England and Wales, too, transgender people are overall twice as likely to be the victim of crimes according to a 2020 report.<ref>Amy Walker (July 17, 2020). [https://www.theguardian.com/society/2020/jul/17/trans-people-twice-as-likely-to-be-victims-of-in-england-and-wales "Trans people twice as likely to be victims of crime in England and Wales"]. ''The Guardian''.</ref> Another report the same year, by an anti-abuse charity, found that about eighty percent of transgender people in the United Kingdom faced violence, abuse, harassment, or some combination of these, with half reporting specifically anti-trans abuse of such nature.<ref>Vic Parsons (November 13, 2020). [https://www.thepinknews.com/2020/11/13/trans-hate-crime-report-galop-transphobia-violence-online-sexual-assault-uk/ "Half of trans people too scared to use public bathrooms as transphobic violence in Britain spirals to dangerous new heights"]. ''PinkNews''.</ref><ref>Cerys Bradley (2020). [https://galop.org.uk/resource/transphobic-hate-crime-report-2020/ "Transphobic Hate Crime Report 2020"]. ''Galop''.</ref>

In the United Kingdom, about 34% of employers openly admit they are less likely to hire someone just by virtue of being transgender, according to a 2018 report; this is despite such discrimination being illegal in the UK.<ref>Rachel Muller-Heyndyk (June 19, 2018). [https://www.hrmagazine.co.uk/content/news/transphobia-rife-among-uk-employers/ "Transphobia rife among UK employers"]. ''HR Magazine''.</ref><ref>(June 18, 2018). [http://archive.today/2019.05.22-121637/https://www.crosslandsolicitors.com/site/hr-hub/transgender-discrimination-in-UK-workplaces "Transphobia rife among UK employers as 1 in 3 won't hire a transgender person"]. ''Crossland Employment Solicitors''.</ref> This is one of the likely discrimination-related contributors to suicidiality across various countries, as lack of employment is associated with higher suicidality even in the general population; according to one study, transgender people were somewhat more likely to be unemployed in Australia as of 2018 (with a 19 percent unemployment rate, versus 5.5 percent in the general Australian population).<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Zwickl |first=Sav |last2=Wong |first2=Alex Fang Qi |last3=Dowers |first3=Eden |last4=Leemaqz |first4=Shalem Yiner-Lee |last5=Bretherton |first5=Ingrid |last6=Cook |first6=Teddy |last7=Zajac |first7=Jeffrey D. |last8=Yip |first8=Paul S. F. |last9=Cheung |first9=Ada S. |date=2021 |title=Factors associated with suicide attempts among Australian transgender adults |url=https://bmcpsychiatry.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12888-021-03084-7 |journal=BMC Psychiatry |volume=21 |issue=1 |pages=81 |doi=10.1186/s12888-021-03084-7 |issn=1471-244X |pmc= |pmid=33557793}}</ref> Similarly, the ''McKinsey Quarterly'' reported in 2021 that transgender people in the United States were 27 percent unemployed, versus an 18 percent unemployment rate among cisgender people. They also reported that transgender people who were employed were more likely to work lower wage jobs, such as in the food or retail industries.<ref>(November 10, 2021). [https://www.mckinsey.com/featured-insights/diversity-and-inclusion/being-transgender-at-work "Being transgender at work"]. ''The McKinsey Quarterly'' (McKinsey & Company).</ref> This is somewhat corroborated by a 2021/2022 [[Human Rights Campaign]] study that found something of a [[wage gap]] between transgender and cisgender people.<ref>Orion Rummler (January 28, 2022). [https://19thnews.org/2022/01/transgender-workers-wage-gap-lowest-paid-lgbtq/ "'Those dollars and cents add up': Full-time trans workers face a wage gap, poll finds"]. ''The 19th News''.</ref>

===Religious fundamentalist opposition===

{{Main|Transphobia#Among fundamentalist Christians}}
While some [[religious]] interpretations embrace or at least tolerate transgender people, others have a more negative view. The American [[religious right]] criticizes transgender people regularly, often while remaining [[Willful_ignorance|willfully ignorant]] about what being transgender is really like.<ref>[http://transadvocate.com/the-religious-right-comments-on-the-transgender-workplace-discrimination-hearings_n_367.htm The Religious Right comments on the Transgender Workplace Discrimination Hearings]</ref>  The basic idea is that [[God]] has personally assigned everyone's sex (and with it their gender), and deviating from that is against God's plan. Unhappiness suffered by people under religious pressure to conform to a gender they feel does not suit them is typically either ignored or seen as a result of [[Original sin|fallen human nature]].<ref name=Green>[http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2015/06/the-christian-debate-on-transgender-identity/394796/ The Real Christian Debate on Transgender Identity]</ref> Thankfully, far from all Christians follow this restrictive teaching, and many more liberal Christian groups accept and welcome transgender people as the gender they are. Religious [[fundamentalism]] predicts negative views much more strongly than religiosity itself does.<ref name="PrejudicePredictors">{{Cite journal |last=Hatch |first=Hailey A. |last2=Warner |first2=Ruth H. |last3=Broussard |first3=Kristin A. |last4=Harton |first4=Helen C. |date=2022-12-01 |title=Predictors of Transgender Prejudice: A Meta-Analysis |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/365821662_Predictors_of_Transgender_Prejudice_A_Meta-Analysis |journal=Sex Roles |language=en |volume=87 |issue=11 |pages=583–602 |doi=10.1007/s11199-022-01338-6 |issn=1573-2762}}</ref> [[Pat Robertson]], expected to offer a "nay", instead gave a "neigh".<ref>Stephen C. Webster (October 11, 2013). [https://progressive.org/latest/pat-robertson-trans-people-like-castrated-horses/ "Pat Robertson: Trans People Are Like Castrated Horses"]. ''The Progressive''.</ref>

[[Pope Francis]] was interpreted as either negative<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20160806002659/http://www.patheos.com/blogs/friendlyatheist/2016/08/03/pope-francis-calls-transgender-people-an-annihilation-of-man-as-image-of-god/ Pope Francis Calls Transgender People An “Annihilation of Man As Image of God”]</ref> or positive<ref>Jo Yurcaba (April 21, 2025). [https://www.nbcnews.com/nbc-out/out-news/pope-francis-created-seismic-shift-acceptance-lgbtq-catholics-say-rcna202113 "Pope Francis created a 'seismic shift' toward acceptance, LGBTQ Catholics say"]. ''NBC''.</ref> to transgender people (and LGBT people in general), especially because of his attacks on "[[gender ideology]]", an intentionally vague bogeyman in the Catholic "{{w|anti-gender movement||".}}<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Occhino|first=Molly|date=8 February 2021|title=Mapping the movements against "gender ideology" across Europe|url=https://tidsskrift.dk/KKF/article/view/124907|journal=Kvinder, Køn & Forskning|language=en|issue=2|pages=99–100|doi=10.7146/kkf.v29i2.124907|s2cid=233947145 |issn=2245-6937|doi-access=free}} {{quotebox|In this way, "gender", they [Roman Kuhar and David Paternotte] argue, becomes an "empty signifier" (23) for anything that could be tied to gender theory that is perceived as a new and threatening danger to traditional national and family values. Moreover, "anti-gender" has become the "symbolic glue" binding together right-wing populist movements, the Catholic Church and other religious organizations, anti-gender "scholars", and concerned citizens, who otherwise might have diverging  goals, to work together against the larger threat of "gender ideology."}}</ref> Francis said "gender theory" was like [[nuclear bomb]]s,<ref>Joshua J. McElwee (February 13, 2025). [https://www.ncronline.org/news/vatican/francis-strongly-criticizes-gender-theory-comparing-it-nuclear-arms "Francis strongly criticizes gender theory, comparing it to nuclear arms"]. ''National Catholic Reporter''.</ref> bemusing some trans people,<ref>John Paul Brammer (October 5, 2017). [https://www.nbcnews.com/feature/nbc-out/pope-condemns-technologies-make-gender-transitions-easier-n808081 "Pope Condemns Technologies That Make Gender Transitions Easier"]. ''NBC'' and the Associated Press. {{quotebox|Austen Hartke, creator of the YouTube series "Transgender and Christian," attempted to explain Francis' comparison: "He was saying nuclear weapons don't promote life, and messing with a bi-gender view of humanity was something that was destructive."

"The main gist is gender-conforming surgeries for people are life-saving for trans folks," Hartke said. "They do provide life in a definite and distinct way. [Francis] just isn't familiar with how these things work. I hope the more trans people he meets, his views change a bit."

Many LGBTQ people of faith consider Francis more progressive than previous popes but still consider comments like the one he made Thursday to be signs that he has room to grow on issues pertaining to the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer community. For many LGBTQ Catholics, disappointment, not outright scorn, was the common sentiment.}}</ref> who nonetheless got V.I.P. invitations to his funeral.<ref>Aryn Baker (April 26, 2025). [https://time.com/7280693/pope-francis-funeral-legacy-celebrated-catholic-church-transformation/ "Pope Francis' Legacy Is Celebrated by Mourners at His Funeral: 'His Tolerance and Humility Changed the Catholic Church'"]. ''TIME''. {{quotebox|Pope Francis' commitment to outreach and inclusion was underscored by a hand-picked honor guard of migrants, Muslims, the homeless, prisoners, and transgender people who awaited his arrival at Santa Maria Maggiore. They were among the last to bid farewell as the pallbearers mounted the steps to deposit the coffin in a plain marble tomb marked with the simple inscription "Franciscus."}}</ref> The {{w|New Ways Ministry}} is an LGBT Catholic ministry who had dialogue with Francis, for example, receiving a 2024 letter from him affirming "''Dignitas Infinita'' … refers not to transgender people but to gender ideology, which nullifies differences. Transgender people must be accepted and integrated into society."<ref>Jeannine Gramick (May 1, 2024). [https://www.ncronline.org/vatican/vatican-news/after-vatican-text-pope-tells-jeannine-gramick-trans-people-must-be-accepted "After Vatican text, pope tells Jeannine Gramick: Trans people 'must be accepted'"]. ''National Catholic Reporter''.</ref> Francis met the ministry's delegation of trans and intersex Catholics the same year.<ref>Justin McLellan (October 15, 2024). [https://www.americamagazine.org/faith/2024/10/15/transgender-intersex-catholic-meet-pope-francis-249035 "Pope Francis hears testimonies from transgender and intersex Catholics"]. ''America''.</ref>

Elsewhere in the [[Roman Catholic Church|Roman Catholic]] Church, the traditionalist archbishop of [[San Francisco]], Salvatore Cordileone, criticized Caitlyn Jenner's transition, motivating this with the [[Tautology|tautological truth]] that "people are born either male or female".<ref name=Green/> One "Catholic [[cyberpunk]]"{{efn|More precisely, "The terminology … is Catholic, the argument is Jewish, the interfaith adaptability is on purpose".<ref>Julian K. Jarboe (August 26, 2020). [https://x.com/JulianKJarboe/status/1298494579650580480 "The terminology of "Good Works" is Catholic, the argument is Jewish, the interfaith adaptability is on purpose, the sentiment is sincere, and *also* the context is me writing sad fucky gay sci fi and trying to use the residual specialness of Sundays to remember to take my T shot."] ''Twitter''.</ref>}} countered: "God blessed me by making me transsexual for the same reason he made wheat but not bread, and fruit but not [[wine]]: so that humanity might share in the act of [[creation]]."<ref>Julian K. Jarboe (2020). {{w|Everyone on the Moon Is Essential Personnel||.}} Lethe Press. {{isbn|978-1-59021-692-7}}.</ref><ref>Mac Svolos (March 13, 2021). [https://www.newwaysministry.org/2021/03/13/new-book-by-trans-author-pairs-fantasy-and-sci-fi-genres-with-pope-francis-catholicism/ "New Book by Trans Author Pairs Fantasy and Sci-Fi Genres with Pope Francis Catholicism"]. ''New Ways Ministry''.</ref> [[Richard Dawkins]] struggled to contain himself.{{cn}} At the end of the day, it remains an important matter to people who never swallowed [[New Atheism]]'s miraculous blessings (the finest in God's creation).

[[Jesus]] could not be contacted for comment, but in {{bible|Matthew|19|12}} he said [[castration]] is fine. In {{bible|Galatians|3|28}} he said your gender or sex doesn't really matter to him. Free Community Church (a church in [[Singapore]]) cites other verses in favor of trans and other gender-variant people, including the story of [[Joseph (Old Testament)|Joseph]], whose "{{w|coat of many colors||"}} they interpret as a princess dress because that's what the same phrase (''ketonet passim'') refers to in its only other biblical appearance, {{bible|2 Samuel|13|18}}.<ref>[https://freecomchurch.org/resources/transgender/biblical-support-for-transgender-identities/ "Biblical Support for Transgender Identities"]. Free Community Church.</ref>

===Controversy over access to public toilets===
{{Main|Transphobia and public restrooms}}
[[File:Cary Gabriel Costello May 2017(1).jpg|thumb|right|250px|This man was assigned female at birth. According to [[Transphobes|some people]], he should be made to use the women's bathroom.]]

When a person was assigned one [[gender]] at birth but [[Gender transition|presents as the other]], a problem arises about use of public toilets &mdash; or what [[Americans]] unaccountably call ''bathrooms'' despite the universal lack of a bath in such facilities.

Some men protest that they don't want women dressed like men peeing alongside them in their toilets, ignoring the fact that such people, many of whom do not have the right equipment (many trans men do not undergo genital surgery, as the process is long and the results often unsatisfactory), and would not necessarily use urinals anyway but (and certainly already do) pee in private stalls. However, some trans men do use devices known as packers, which simulate a penis.

Women protesting the converse have a similar position, in that men posing as women could have sinister, exploitative or even illegal reasons for gaining access to toilets labeled '''Women'''. However, legislation is probably not a strong deterrent in this case.<ref>On 19 May 2016, on [[The Daily Show]], Trevor Noah mocked the protesters, pointing out the absurdity of imagining perverts waiting for the law to legitimize their activity.</ref>

Oddly, neither group complains about gay or bi men/women using the same facilities as them. This is a source of [[Double standard|great puzzlement]] to trans people.

In the USA, state laws have been notably divided on the issue. Several states mandate that people must use the facilities that match the gender on their birth certificates. The standard-bearer for this extreme point of view is the State of [[North Carolina]], which passed a so-called [[Transsexual#Bathroom_Bills|"bathroom bill"]] in March 2016, in a whirlwind legislative session that saw [[Democrats]] walking out in protest.<ref>[http://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/24/us/north-carolina-to-limit-bathroom-use-by-birth-gender.html?_r=0 ''North Carolina Bans Local Anti-Discrimination Policies''] Dave Phillips in ''New York Times'', 23 March 2016. The bill was enacted in swift response to an ordinance approved by the City of Charlotte in February, asserting the contrary position.</ref> At the other extreme, the megastore ''Target'' created a furor in April 2016 by declaring that its customers could freely choose which toilet to use.<ref>[http://money.cnn.com/2016/04/20/news/companies/target-transgender-bathroom-lgbt/ ''Target takes stand on transgender bathroom controversy''] Robert Mclean in ''CNN Money'', 20 April 2016. The statement read ''We welcome transgender team members and guests to use the restroom or fitting room facility that corresponds with their gender identity.''</ref> The Cooper Union, a small New York City university, also took an extreme position in the same month by removing all gender-specific signs from its toilets. The facilities that were formerly "Men's" were changed to “urinals and stalls", while former women’s rooms now carry the label "stalls only".<ref>[http://dailycaller.com/2016/04/01/new-york-college-decides-to-make-all-bathrooms-gender-neutral/#ixzz48veFVOtW ''New York College Decides To Make ALL Bathrooms Gender-Neutral''] Blake Neff in ''Daily Caller'', 1 April 2016</ref><ref>[https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2016/03/31/cooper-union-makes-all-bathrooms-gender-neutral ''No More Men's or Women's Rooms''] Josh Logue in ''Inside Higher Ed'', 31 March 2016. "I cannot change the outside world and how it treats transgender and gender-nonconforming people, but I can change the Cooper Union environment to help everyone feel safe when they are inside our buildings." (said Bill Mea, Acting President)</ref>

Coming as it did in the midst of an unusually contentious election primary season, this issue attained political "hot button" status very rapidly. There is no federal law on the issue, but in May 2016 the Justice Department declared that North Carolina's "bathroom bill" violates Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964<ref>[http://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/may/04/north-carolina-lgbt-law-hb2-civil-rights-act-violation ''Justice Department says North Carolina anti-LGBT law violates Civil Rights Act''] Matthew Teague in ''The Guardian'', 4 May 2016</ref> and the [[White House]] sent a directive to all public schools requiring them to allow transgender students to use toilets matching their gender identity.<ref>[http://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/13/us/politics/obama-administration-to-issue-decree-on-transgender-access-to-school-restrooms.html?action=Click&contentCollection=BreakingNews&contentID=63413396&pgtype=Homepage&_r=1 ''U.S. Directs Public Schools to Allow Transgender Access to Restrooms''] Julie Herschfeld and Matt Apuzzo in ''New York Times'', 12 May 2016. The directive was not legally binding, but it included an implied penalty for non-compliance in terms of reduced or terminated federal subsidies. The State of Texas stands to lose $10 billion.</ref> Eleven US States filed a lawsuit challenging the directive.<ref>[http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-36384740 ''Eleven US states oppose transgender schools edict''] --''BBC'', 25 May</ref> On 18 May, a declared "International Day against [[Homophobia]] and [[Transphobia]]", the governor of [[Texas]], [[Greg Abbott]], loudly dissented and signaled that his state will be the next North Carolina. Abbott tweeted "[[JFK]] wanted to send a man to the moon. Obama wants to send a man to the women's restroom." At the [[GOP]]'s state convention, he added, "I want you to know, I am working with the governor of North Carolina, and we are going to fight back."<ref>[http://www.theguardian.com/society/2016/may/18/transgender-bathroom-bill-texas-north-carolina-obama?CMP=fb_gu ''Texas poised to be the next bathroom battleground in transgender fight''] Tom Dart in ''The Guardian'', 18 May 2016</ref> In a further development, on 20 May, a bill was introduced in the [[Oklahoma]] State Legislature urging the state's congressional delegation to start an effort to [[impeach]] President Barack Obama over the issue.<ref>[http://www.reuters.com/article/us-oklahoma-lgbt-idUSKCN0YB1Z0?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=Social ''Some in Oklahoma statehouse urge Obama impeachment over bathroom rule''] --Heide Brandes in ''Reuter's'', 20 May 2016 (retrieved 23 May)</ref> There was no official reaction from the White House, but pedestrians on Pennsylvania Avenue later that day could have sworn they heard laughter coming from the Oval Office.

Several further legal maneuvers<ref>[http://www.wfaa.com/news/education/forth-worth-judge-blocks-obama-transgender-guidelines/304966191 ''Forth Worth judge blocks Obama transgender guidelines''] --Texas Tribune , WFAA 8:43 AM. CDT August 22, 2016</ref><ref>[http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-37802223 ''Supreme Court to hear transgender school bathroom case''] --BBC News, 28 October 2016</ref><ref>[http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-38369702 ''HB2 law: North Carolina to repeal 'bathroom bill' ''] --BBC, 19 December 2016</ref> were made moot in February 2017 when President [[Donald Trump]] rescinded the Obama directive, arguing that the matter was not a federal concern.<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/22/us/politics/devos-sessions-transgender-students-rights.html ''Trump Rescinds Rules on Bathrooms for Transgender Students''] --New York Times, 22 February 2017</ref>

In the [[United Kingdom]], after the Supreme Court passed a ruling that strictly and naively defined "woman" as exclusively "biological", the new interpretation of the Equality Act banned trans people from using facilities that correspond to their gender.<ref>[https://www.theguardian.com/society/2025/apr/27/trans-people-banned-from-toilets-of-gender-they-identify-with-says-uk-minister Trans people banned from toilets of gender they identify with, says UK minister]. Libby Brooks and Peter Walker, 27 Apr 2025. ''The Guardian''.</ref><ref>[https://goodlawproject.org/parliament-surrenders-to-anti-trans-activists-on-toilet-policy/ Parliament surrenders to anti-trans activists on toilet policy]. 23 June 2025. ''Good Law Project''.</ref>

==Legal protections and status==
{{main|LGBT rights#Transgender rights}}
Legal protections for trans people are controversial and depend on the area.  In the US, 30 states still allow businesses to fire or evict people because of their gender identity.  31 states allow businesses to refuse service to trans people.  37 states still allow trans people to be denied credit.<ref>http://www.lgbtmap.org/equality-maps/non_discrimination_laws</ref>  All 50 states allow name changes for trans people, as well as gender changes on driver's license.  However, the requirements for a gender change depend on the state.  Some may require sex reassignment surgery, while others only require a doctor's or psychologist's note.  Some states even require a medical note for a name change.

==Health issues==
A Dutch study of 1100 young people found that transgender youth who received gender-affirming puberty blockers were significantly less likely to have emotional problems and [[Suicide|suicidal]] thoughts than those who did not receive puberty blockers. The trans youth who received puberty blockers were similar to cisgender youth as far as mental health.<ref name=temming>[https://www.sciencenews.org/article/transgender-youth-mental-health-gender-affirming-care-laws Gender-affirming care improves mental health for transgender youth: Laws restricting this treatment may harm an already vulnerable community, researchers say] by Maria Temming (August 26, 2021 at 1:00 pm) ''Science News''.</ref><ref>{{oa}} [https://pure.uva.nl/ws/files/55210813/1_s2.0_S1054139X20300276_main.pdf Psychological Functioning in Transgender Adolescents Before and After Gender-Affirmative Care Compared With Cisgender General Population Peers] by Anna I.R. van der Miesen et al. (2020) ''Journal of Adolescent Health'' 66(6):699-704. doi:[https://www.jahonline.org/article/S1054-139X(20)30027-6/fulltext 10.1016/j.jadohealth.2019.12.018].</ref> At least two studies suggested that the positive impact on mental health for gender dysphoric people may be significantly greater when they begin to physically gender transition earlier rather than later (assuming that they desired to),<ref>{{oa}} {{Cite journal |last=Turban |first=Jack L. |last2=King |first2=Dana |last3=Kobe |first3=Julia |last4=Reisner |first4=Sari L. |last5=Keuroghlian |first5=Alex S. |date=2022 |title=Access to gender-affirming hormones during adolescence and mental health outcomes among transgender adults |url=https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8754307/ |journal=PLoS ONE |volume=17 |issue=1 |pages=e0261039 |doi=10.1371/journal.pone.0261039 |issn=1932-6203 |pmid=35020719}}</ref><ref>{{oa}} {{Cite journal |last=Chen |first=Diane |last2=Abrams |first2=Mere |last3=Clark |first3=Leslie |last4=Ehrensaft |first4=Diane |last5=Tishelman |first5=Amy C. |last6=Chan |first6=Yee-Ming |last7=Garofalo |first7=Robert |last8=Olson-Kennedy |first8=Johanna |last9=Rosenthal |first9=Stephen M. |last10=Hidalgo |first10=Marco A. |date=2021 |title=Psychosocial Characteristics of Transgender Youth Seeking Gender-Affirming Medical Treatment: Baseline Findings from the TYC Study |url=https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7897328/ |journal=The Journal of Adolescent Health |volume=68 |issue=6 |pages=1104–1111 |doi=10.1016/j.jadohealth.2020.07.033 |issn=1054-139X |pmid=32839079}}</ref><ref>Erin Digitale (January 12, 2022). [https://med.stanford.edu/news/all-news/2022/01/mental-health-hormone-treatment-transgender-people.html "Better mental health found among transgender people who started hormones as teens"]. ''Stanford Medicine News Center''.</ref> which makes some intrinsic sense given what said condition even entails. Trans people who receive gender-affirming surgery show massively reduced levels of self harm such as smoking and suicidal thoughts.<ref>{{oa}} [https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamasurgery/article-abstract/2779429 Association Between Gender-Affirming Surgeries and Mental Health Outcomes] by Anthony Almazan and Alex Keuroghlian, April 28 2021</ref> A study of 8000 transgender patients found that only 1% regretted having gender-affirming surgeries.<ref name=temming/><ref>{{oa}} [https://journals.lww.com/prsgo/fulltext/2021/03000/regret_after_gender_affirmation_surgery__a.22.aspx Regret after Gender-affirmation Surgery: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Prevalence] by Valeria P. Bustos et al. (2021) ''Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery'' 9(3):e3477. doi:10.1097/GOX.0000000000003477.</ref> One curious finding in some studies is that less exposure to anti-trans discrimination and better access to gender transition care actually results in lower likelihood for eating disorders among transgender people.<ref>Henri Feola (February 18, 2022). [https://www.americanscientist.org/blog/macroscope/its-time-to-stop-gatekeeping-medical-transition "It's Time to Stop Gatekeeping Medical Transition"]. ''American Scientist''.</ref>

==Notable transgender people==
{{collist|3|
*{{wpl|Leelah Alcorn||,}} [[American]] transgender teen who committed suicide in 2014 because her parents forced her into [[conversion therapy]]. Her death sparked public outcry.
*{{wpl|Harry Allen (trans man)|Harry Allen,}} trans man who was the subject of American media sensation from 1900 to 1922. He was notorious for his petty crimes and his transgender status.
*{{wpl|Buck Angel||,}} openly trans porn star during the early 2000s. Allegedly ran a "[[pyramid scheme]]" website in the early 2010s for fundraising transgender surgeries. In recent years he made transphobic statements.<ref>Steven Asarch (October 21, 2019). [https://www.newsweek.com/youtuber-contrapoints-attacked-after-including-controversial-buck-angel-video-1466757 YouTuber ContraPoints Attacked After Including Controversial Buck Angel in Video]. ''Newsweek''. Quote: "Angel is a transgender man who helped pioneer trans acceptance with his work in the adult video industry in the early 2000s. [...] "They are non-binary. That's not trans-gender. Not sure how these have become the same thing," Angel tweeted. Angel has also been criticized for attempting to launch Transgasm, a fundraising website for gender confirmation surgery that's business model resembled a pyramid scheme."</ref><ref>Parker Marie Molloy (December 10, 2013). [https://www.advocate.com/politics/transgender/2013/12/10/buck-angel-shuts-down-transgender-surgery-fundraising-site "Buck Angel Shuts Down Transgender Surgery Fundraising Site"]. ''The Advocate''.</ref><ref>[https://archive.fo/Erd5r "These articles will start coming out more and more. Lets discuss please. -Transgender youth: My daughter needs mental health care — not hormones"]. Archived from Buck Angel on Twitter. [https://twitter.com/BuckAngel/status/1160931136219971584 (Original link)].</ref><ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20210424052020/https://twitter.com/BuckAngel/status/1131781083366694913 "I just want you all to know that I am a transsexual man who transitioned 23 years ago. This is not a representation of us all. Many of us transsexuals are also appalled and upset at the hate and anger coming from transgender agenda. It saddens us😢❤️"]. Archived from Buck Angel on Twitter. [https://twitter.com/BuckAngel/status/1131781083366694913 (Original link)].</ref>
*{{wpl|Anohni||,}} composer, visual artist and lead singer of the band {{wpl|Anohni and the Johnsons||.}}
*{{wpl|Amelio Robles Ávila||,}} trans man who fought as a colonel in the [[Mexico#Revolution|Mexican Revolution]], receiving six bullet wounds. He survived and lived into his nineties as a decorated veteran of the revolution.
*{{wpl|Karl M. Baer||,}} intersex trans man who, in early 20th century Germany, wrote a popular book about trans men's experiences that was semi-fictional and semi-autobiographical.
*{{wpr|Ben Barres||,}} neurobiologist who also wrote about sexism in scientific fields.
*{{wpl|James Barry (surgeon)|James Barry,}} 19th century British military surgeon.
*{{wpl|Thomas Beatie||,}} the "pregnant man".
*{{wpl|Adrianne Black||,}} the child of [[Don Black]]. Adrianne's father Don founded the white supremacist site [[Stormfront]]; Adrianne is also the godchild of [[David Duke]]. Adrianne announced in 2013 they were now anti-racist, and in a 2024 memoir also came out as transgender.<ref>Matt Lavietes (May 25, 2024). [https://www.nbcnews.com/nbc-out/out-news/derek-black-kkk-klansman-son-transgender-rcna153904 "Ex-KKK leader's child comes out as transgender in new memoir"]. ''NBC News''.</ref>
*{{wpl|Chaz Bono||,}} son of Sonny & Cher and [[LGBT]] activist.
*{{wpr|Judith Butler||,}}<ref>{{Cite web|date=December 27, 2019|title=Judith Butler on her Philosophy and Current Events|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200726182552/https://interviewsbykian.wordpress.com/2019/12/27/judith-butler-on-her-philosophy-and-current-events/|website=Interviews by Kian|quote=I am myself now legally 'non-binary'...}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Ferber |first=Alona |date=2020-09-22 |title=Judith Butler on the culture wars, JK Rowling and living in 'anti-intellectual times' |url=https://www.newstatesman.com/international/2020/09/judith-butler-culture-wars-jk-rowling-and-living-anti-intellectual-times|website=New Statesman |language=en |quote=Many people who were assigned 'female' at birth never felt at home with that assignment, and those people (including me) tell all of us something important about the constraints of traditional gender norms for many who fall outside its terms.}}</ref><ref>Jules Gleeson (September 7, 2021). [https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2021/sep/07/judith-butler-interview-gender "Judith Butler: 'We need to rethink the category of woman'"]. ''The Guardian''. Quote: "When I wrote Gender Trouble, there was no category for 'nonbinary' – but now I don't see how I cannot be in that category. [...] I've been identified variously as butch, queer, trans* for over 50 years."</ref> prominent philosopher in [[postmodern]] feminism.
*{{wpl|Wendy Carlos||,}} composer of music for two [[Stanley Kubrick]] films (''[[A Clockwork Orange]]'' and ''The Shining'') and ''Tron''. She was the first trans recipient of a Grammy Award.
*{{wpl|Cavetown||,}} English musician. 
*{{wpl|Coccinelle||,}} 20th century French entertainer and international celebrity. 
*[[ContraPoints]], left-wing YouTuber.
*{{wpl|Lynn Conway||,}} computer scientist and electrical engineer who revolutionized computer design.
*{{wpl|Caroline Cossey||,}} a British actress and model who in 1991 became the first trans woman to appear in ''Playboy''.
*{{wpl|Roberta Cowell||,}} British [[WWII]] fighter pilot, racing driver, and first known sex reassignment surgery recipient in the United Kingdom.
*{{wpl|Laverne Cox||,}} actress and transgender advocate.
*{{wpl|maia arson crimew||,}} computer hacker who leaked the No-Fly List.
*{{wpl|Candy Darling||,}} a "Warhol superstar" who appeared in several of his films. Incidentally, she was friends with [[Valerie Solanas]].<ref>Marybeth Hamilton (July 26, 2018). [https://www.versobooks.com/blogs/news/3946-remembering-1968-the-scum-manifesto-for-the-society-for-cutting-up-men "Remembering 1968: The SCUM Manifesto for the Society for Cutting up Men"]. ''Verso Books''.</ref>
*{{wpl|Honey Dijon||,}} American {{wpl|house music}} DJ.
*{{wpl|Michael Dillon||,}} British physician who was an early phalloplasty recipient. He also performed an orchiectomy on Roberta Cowell.
*{{wpl|Lili Elbe||,}} Danish painter who was also an early sex reassignment surgery recipient. She died after an attempted uterus transplant.
*{{wpl|Emma Ellingsen||,}} Norwegian model and YouTuber.
*{{wpl|Chevalier d'Éon||,}} 18th century French diplomat and spy.
*{{wpl|Shon Faye||,}} English journalist and writer of ''{{wpl|The Transgender Issue||.}}''
*{{wpl|Leslie Feinberg||,}} butch lesbian activist; author of ''{{wpl|Stone Butch Blues}}'' and ''{{wpl|Transgender Warriors||.}}''
*{{wpl|Public Universal Friend||,}} a [[Quaker]] minister who spontaneously began identifying as [[agender|genderless]] in 1776 following a fever.
*{{wpl|Gigi Gorgeous||,}} Canadian [[YouTube]] personality, actress, and model.
*{{wpl|Laura Jane Grace||,}} lead singer of anarcho-punk band {{wpl|Against Me!}}
*{{wpl|Alan L. Hart||,}} doctor and fiction writer who innovated tuberculosis screening technique using X-rays.
*{{wpl|Rebecca Heineman||,}} video game designer and programmer.
*{{wpl|Mary Ann Horton||,}} Internet pioneer who contributed to BSD and created a tool which helped popularize [[Usenet]] in the 1980s.
*{{wpl|Scarlett (StarCraft II player)|Sasha "Scarlett" Hostyn|,}} a professional gamer and a world champion in Starcraft 2.<ref>[http://www.globalpost.com/dispatches/globalpost-blogs/the-grid/starcraft-2-sasha-scarlett-hostyn-transgender-gamer-champion Starcraft 2: Transgender gamer quietly wins, in more ways than one]. GlobalPost. July 16, 2012.</ref>
*{{wpl|Nikkie de Jager||,}} a popular makeup YouTuber who came out as transgender after somebody blackmailed her, threatening to reveal her trans status.
*{{wpl|Jakkaphong Jakrajutatip||,}} a Thai media tycoon who purchased the Miss Universe beauty pageant in 2022.<ref>Jessie Yeung and Kocha Olarn (October 27, 2022). [https://www.cnn.com/2022/10/27/media/thailand-miss-universe-anne-jakkaphong-jakrajutatip-jkn-intl-hnk/index.html "Thai tycoon and transgender rights advocate buys Miss Universe for $20 million"]. CNN.</ref>
*{{wpl|Caitlyn Jenner||,}} an Olympic gold medalist in track and field. As a [[Log Cabin Republican]], her beliefs have sometimes caught flak from other LGBT people.<ref>David Crary (April 23, 2021). [https://apnews.com/article/entertainment-government-and-politics-3bf4c0f7e752bcffeb8be8589d9610ed "LGBT activists not excited by Jenner’s campaign for governor"]. ''The Associated Press''.</ref><ref>Katelyn Burns (April 30, 2021). [https://www.vox.com/22409461/caitlyn-jenner-california-governor-recall "Trans people are dreading Caitlyn Jenner's run for governor"]. ''Vox''.</ref>
*[[Jazz Jennings]], [[LGBT rights]] activist and television personality. Also one of the youngest documented people to identify as transgender.
*{{wpl|Christine Jorgensen||,}} American entertainer who was the subject of international media sensation after receiving sex reassignment surgery in [[Denmark]] during the 1950s.<ref name="HowSexChanged">{{Cite book |last=Meyerowitz |first=Joanne |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rTmQVXWSv5gC |title=How Sex Changed: A History of Transsexuality in the United States |date=April 2004 |publisher=Harvard University Press |isbn=978-0-674-01379-7 |pages=88–89 |language=en}}</ref>
*{{wpl|Loiza Lamers||,}} Dutch model and businesswoman.
*{{wpl|Ramona Andra Langley||,}} electronic musician who, under the alias Macintosh Plus, helped to define the {{wpl|vaporwave}} microgenre.
*{{wpl|G.F. Laundon||,}} mycologist from [[New Zealand]] who specialized on rust [[fungi]] from about 1959 onward and innovated in her field.
*{{wpl|Laura Les||,}} of the musical duo {{wpl|100 gecs||.}} The duo is influential in the hyperpop genre.
*{{wpl|Rachel Levine||,}} physician who was appointed US assistant secretary for health under the [[Joe Biden]] administration. Much of her published work focuses on eating disorders.
*{{wpl|Elke Mackenzie||,}} 20th century British lichenologist and polar explorer who participated in Operation Tabarin.<ref>Sabrina Imbler (September 26, 2020). [https://daily.jstor.org/the-unsung-heroine-of-lichenology/ "The Unsung Heroine of Lichenology"]. ''JSTOR Daily''.</ref>
*{{wpl|Nicole Maines||,}} American actress who appeared in ''Supergirl'' and ''Yellowjackets''. She was also a plaintiff in a case about bathroom access for transgender students.
*[[Chelsea Manning]], [[WikiLeaks]] leaker.
*{{wpl|Jessica Mink||,}} one of the three people credited with discovering the rings of [[Uranus]] in 1977.<ref>Ezzy Pearson (March 26, 2019). [https://www.skyatnightmagazine.com/space-science/40-years-of-uranuss-rings/ "The discovery of Uranus's rings"]. ''BBC Sky at Night Magazine''</ref>
*{{wpl|Janet Mock||,}} American writer, editor and television host.
*{{wpl|Jan Morris||,}} a prolific [[Wales|Welsh]] writer and transgender woman who chronicled her transition in a memoir.
*{{wpl|Elliot Page||,}} award-winning Canadian actor.
*{{wpl|Andreja Pejić||,}} Australian model.
*{{wpl|Kim Petras||,}} German musician.
*{{wpl|Lena Raine||,}} composer who contributed music for ''[[Minecraft]]'' beginning in 2020.<ref>{{wpa|Music of Minecraft}}</ref>
*{{wpl|Genesis P-Orridge||,}} British musician most noted for Throbbing Gristle and Psychic TV.
*{{wpl|Sylvia Rivera||,}} trans activist who co-founded the group Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries with Marsha P. Johnson.
*{{wpl|Geena Rocero||,}} model and transgender activist.
*{{wpl|Danica Roem||,}} member of the Virginia House of Delegates and former frontwoman of the metal band Cab Ride Home.
*{{wpl|Angelica Ross||,}} American businesswoman, computer programmer, and actress.
*{{wpl|Martine Rothblatt||,}} "[[Big Pharma]]" entrepreneur and [[transhumanist]]. Subject of some conspiracy theories.<ref>Io Dodds (June 26, 2022). [https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/transgender-far-right-qanon-violence-b2108235.html "How paranoia over trans rights became catnip for QAnon and the far right"]. ''The Independent''.</ref><ref>Colin Haskins (June 18, 2022). [https://blogs.timesofisrael.com/the-antisemitic-conspiracy-theories-fueling-transphobia/ "The antisemitic conspiracy theories fueling transphobia"]. ''The Times of Israel''.</ref>
*{{wpl|Joan Roughgarden||,}} ecologist known for her criticism of Darwin's [[sexual selection]] theory and for her support for [[evolutionary creationism]].
*{{wpl|Eliana Rubashkyn||,}} first trans woman recognized legally as a woman under international law without undergoing sex reassignment surgery. Also tomato juiced [[Kellie-Jay Keen-Minshull]].
*{{wpl|Karissa Sanbonmatsu||,}} structural biologist whose laboratory created the software used to determine the structure of the {{wpl|coronavirus spike protein||.}}
*{{wpl|Hunter Schafer||,}} award-winning actress especially known for her appearance in the TV series ''Euphoria''.
*{{wpl|Scott Turner Schofield||,}} actor and playwright.
*{{wpl|Ice Seguerra||,}} award-winning [[Filipino]] actor.
*{{wpl|Julia Serano||,}} trans/bisexual activist writer and biologist who wrote ''{{wpl|Whipping Girl||.}}'' Writes about trans topics to this day.<ref>[https://juliaserano.medium.com/ "Julia Serano"]. ''Medium''.</ref><ref>Andrea James. [https://www.transgendermap.com/politics/biology/julia-serano/ "Julia Serano and transgender people"]. ''Transgender Map''.</ref>
*{{wpl|Witold Smętek||,}} intersex trans man and record-holding [[Polish]] athlete.
*{{wpl|Sophie (musician)|SOPHIE,}} Scottish musician.
*{{wpl|Sandy Stone (artist)|Sandy Stone,}} an artist, academic, and programmer who wrote ''{{wpl|The Empire Strikes Back: A Posttranssexual Manifesto}}'' in response to [[Janice Raymond]]. It is considered a foundational text of transgender studies. 
*{{wpl|Susan Stryker||,}} historian who focuses on the history of gender and sexuality; she wrote the book ''{{wpl|Transgender History (book)|Transgender History.}}''
*{{wpl|Audrey Tang||,}} prominent [[Taiwan]]ese computer programmer and government minister.
*{{wpl|Billy Tipton||,}} 20th century American jazz musician who was secretly transgender.
*{{wpl|The Wachowskis|Lana and Lilly Wachowski|,}} co-directors of ''[[The Matrix]]'' and ''Cloud Atlas''.
*[[Blaire White]], right-wing YouTuber and [[internalized discrimination]] case-study.
*{{wpl|Stephen Whittle||,}} legal scholar who was formerly the president of the World Professional Association for Transgender Health.
*{{wpl|Sophie Wilson||,}} computer science pioneer who was key in designing the BBC Micro and ARM architecture.
*{{wpl|Holly Woodlawn||,}} another "Warhol superstar".
*{{wpl|Jin Xing||,}} a very popular television personality in mainland [[China]] who has been called "the [[Oprah]] of China". She has also worked as a ballerina and an army colonel.<ref>Abid Rahman (November 1, 2016). [https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-features/meet-oprah-china-who-happens-be-transgender-942750/ "Meet the Oprah of China, Who Happens to Be Transgender"]. ''The Hollywood Reporter''.</ref><ref>Vivian Wang and Joy Dong (July 16, 2021). [https://www.nytimes.com/2021/07/16/world/asia/china-transgender-jin-xing.html "She's One of China's Biggest Stars. She's Also Transgender."]. ''The New York Times''. [https://archive.ph/axhkK (Archived)].</ref> Her dating show reinforced conservative views on gender and relationships, and she has stated she is "no LGBT crusader".<ref>Ting Guo (January 13, 2017). [https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/5050/first-transgender-celebrity-in-china-is-now-hosting-sexist-dating-show/ "The first transgender celebrity in China and her sexist dating show"]. ''openDemocracy''.</ref><ref>Chin Soo Fang (May 6, 2023). [https://www.straitstimes.com/life/arts/i-m-no-lgbt-crusader-china-s-transgender-star-jin-xing "‘I’m no LGBT crusader’: China’s transgender star Jin Xing"]. ''The Straits Times''.</ref>
*{{wpl|Sophie Zhang (whistleblower)|Sophie Zhang|,}} [[Facebook]] whistleblower.
}}

==Days of significance==
* '''March 31st: International Trans Day of Visibility (TDOV).'''  This day celebrates all trans people, both living and dead.<ref>https://www.hrc.org/resources/international-transgender-day-of-visibility</ref>
* '''November 20th: Trans Day of Remembrance (TDOR).''' The day was dedicated in 1999 in honor of a trans woman named Rita Hester, who was murdered that day.  It serves to commemorate the transgender people who are lost every year to murder and suicide.  The seven days before the event are ''Transgender Awareness Week''.<ref>https://www.glaad.org/tdor</ref>
* '''December 28th: Trans Youth Awareness Day.''' Anniversary of Leelah Alcorn's death.<ref>https://twitter.com/TransLifeline/status/946526484843376641</ref>

==Gallery==
<gallery>
Transgender Pride flag.svg|Transgender pride flag, designed by Monica Helms, 2000. The original is now in the Smithsonian.
Genderqueer pride flag.png|[[Genderqueer]] pride flag, created by Marilyn Roxie
Genderfluidity_Pride_Flag.png|[[Gender fluid]] pride flag
Agender_flag.jpg|[[Agender]] pride flag
nonbinary-flag.svg|[[Nonbinary]] pride flag
SexualOrientation.png|The transgender symbol, compared against some symbols for sexual orientation and gender
</gallery>

==See also==
*[[Refuting anti-LGBT+ arguments]]
*[[Sex segregation in public restrooms]]
*[[Sex and gender in sport]]
*[[Transgender glossary]]

==External links==
*[http://www.glaad.org/reference/transgender Avoiding offense]
*{{wpa|causes of gender incongruence}}
*{{wpa|transgender history}}

==Further reading==
* [http://www.thingstransform.com/p/bibliography.html Bibliography of Transgender Studies]. ''Transliterature''.
===Health and medicine===
*{{Cite book |date=2019 |editor-last=Poretsky |editor-first=Leonid |editor2-last=Hembree |editor2-first=Wylie C. |title=Transgender Medicine: A Multidisciplinary Approach |url=https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-030-05683-4 |series=Contemporary Endocrinology |doi=10.1007/978-3-030-05683-4 |issn=2523-3785}}
* {{oa}} Nguyen ''et al.'' (2018). [https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6354936/ "Gender-Affirming Hormone Use in Transgender Individuals: Impact on Behavioral Health and Cognition"]. ''Current Psychiatry Reports''.
* {{oa}} Bränström and Pachankis (2019). [https://ajp.psychiatryonline.org/doi/10.1176/appi.ajp.2019.19010080 "Reduction in Mental Health Treatment Utilization Among Transgender Individuals After Gender-Affirming Surgeries: A Total Population Study"]. ''The American Journal of Psychiatry''. American Psychiatric Association.
* {{oa}} Turban ''et al.'' (2020). [https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6739904/ "Association Between Recalled Exposure to Gender Identity Conversion Efforts and Psychological Distress and Suicide Attempts Among Transgender Adults"]. ''JAMA Psychiatry''.
* {{oa}} Jackson ''et al.'' (2023). [https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2800814 "Analysis of Mortality Among Transgender and Gender Diverse Adults in England"]. ''JAMA Network Open''.

===Biology and origins===
* Saraswat ''et al.'' (2015). [https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25667367/ "Review: Evidence supporting the biologic nature of gender identity"]. ''Endocrine Practice''. The American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists and American College of Endocrinology.
* Jenny Graves (2019). [https://theconversation.com/how-genes-and-evolution-shape-gender-and-transgender-identity-108911 "How genes and evolution shape gender – and transgender – identity "]. ''The Conversation''.
* Swaab ''et al.'' (2021). [https://theconversation.com/how-genes-and-evolution-shape-gender-and-transgender-identity-108911 "Sexual differentiation of the human hypothalamus: Relationship to gender identity and sexual orientation"]. ''Handbook of Clinical Neurology,'' volume 181, chapter 31, pages 427-443.

===Historical analyses===
* Robert Beachy (2014). [https://archive.org/details/gayberlinbirthpl0000beac "Gay Berlin: Birthplace of a Modern Identity"]. ''Vintage Books''. Penguin Random House.
* Susan Stryker (2017) [https://archive.org/details/transgenderhisto0000stry "Transgender History: the Roots of Today's Revolution"], 2nd edition. Seal Press.
* Marc-Antoine Crocq (2021) [https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9286744/ "How gender dysphoria and incongruence became medical diagnoses – a historical review"]. ''Dialogues in Clinical Neuroscience''.

===Politics and society===
* {{oa}} Edward Schiappa (2021). [https://www.taylorfrancis.com/books/oa-edit/10.4324/9781003250494/transgender-exigency-edward-schiappa "The Transgender Exigency: Defining Sex and Gender in the 21st Century"]. Routledge.
* {{oa}} (2021). [https://www.cces.ca/transgender-women-athletes-and-elite-sport-scientific-review "Transgender Women Athletes and Elite Sport: A Scientific Review"]. Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport.
* Jack Turban (2021) [https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/trans-girls-belong-on-girls-sports-teams/ "Trans Girls Belong on Girls' Sports Teams"]. ''[[Scientific American]]''.
===Religious views===
* [https://www.hrc.org/resources/faith-positions "Resources: Faith Positions"]. [[Human Rights Campaign]] (HRC Foundation).
* {{oa}} Zaharin and Pallotta-Chiarolli (2020) [https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/26895269.2020.1778238 "Countering Islamic conservatism on being transgender: Clarifying Tantawi's and Khomeini's fatwas from the progressive Muslim standpoint"]. ''The International Journal of Transgender Health''.
* Ray Buckner (2022). [https://therevealer.org/many-paths-to-freedom-transgender-buddhism-in-the-united-states/ "Many Paths to Freedom: Transgender Buddhism in the United States"]. ''The Revealer''.
* Jue Liang (2022) [https://theconversation.com/traditional-buddhist-teachings-exclude-lgbtq-people-from-monastic-life-but-change-is-coming-slowly-191567 "Traditional Buddhist teachings exclude LGBTQ people from monastic life, but change is coming slowly"]. ''The Conversation''.

==Notes==
{{reflist|group=note}}

==References==
{{reflist|2|80%}}

[[Category:Identity politics]]
[[Category:Transgender| ]]
[[Category:Social justice]]
[[Category:Moral panics]]

Categories: Identity politics, Transgender, Social justice, Moral panics