Video Highlights Trans Discrimination

A new Web video from In the Life Media explores the pervasive injustices documented in a groundbreaking report about transgender discrimination earlier this year.

The video, produced with support from the Calamus Foundation, highlights the findings of “Injustice at Every Turn,” the first large-scale national study about transgender discrimination, released in February by the National Center for Transgender Equality and the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force. The report found that transgender individuals face pervasive discrimination in fundamental areas of life including housing, employment, and education, which results in a disproportionately high level of suicide attempts compared to the general population. On the other hand, the report indicated that transgender people exhibit remarkable resilience and survival skills in response to the challenges.

The new video presents Ja’briel and Michelle, a resident of the South who testifies to another of the report’s key findings — that discrimination is compounded for transgender people of color. They share the difficulties that can surround the most basic life activities.

“You figure out ways to kind of work around people,” Ja’briel said of the anxiety surrounding a simple trip to the store. “Instead of 2 p.m. in the day, I’ll go at 2 a.m. in the morning, when no one is there.”