The number of transgender population in the United States has doubled since the last survey undertaken almost a five back. A recent survey revealed that about 1.4 million adults in the country or 0.6 percent of the population identify themselves as transgender.
The findings of the survey undertaken by the Williams Institute at the University of California showed that the number of transgender people in the United States jumped from an estimated 700,000 in 2011 to 1.4 million in 2016. It is expected that the finding could put force the lawmakers to deal with the prejudice against transgender people.
The new survey, which offers state-level estimates of transgender residents, is a warning sign to lawmakers that demands for transgender rights will not dissipate; study co-author Gary J. Gates told Reuters in a telephonic interview. Currently, lawmakers throughout the United States are trying to come to grips with whether or not to allow transgender people to use public restrooms matching their gender identity.
Meanwhile, members of the LGBT community in the United States are visibly shaken following the gruesome killing of 49 people at a gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida, last month. At the same time, the incident has triggered a debate on how the country views its LGBT population.
According to Gates, the new estimates regarding the adult transgender population in the United States will enable policymakers to make a case in favor of the LGBT community. It would help the policymakers to point out to the Americans that these people are living in every state and district of the country and they are friends and neighbors.
During the course of the survey, researchers at the Williams Institute focused on the laws and policies pertaining to the LGBT people. They also made use of the U.S. Census data and the state-level surveys undertaken in 2014 to calculate the new estimated figure.
Gates told the news agency that the new data identifies transgender people from as many as 19 state-level surveys, which were used to calculate the new figure. The latest estimated figure of transgender people in the United States is the most accurate that has been produced by the research center. The figures are important in view of the increasing number of states asking residents to identify if they are transgender.
Watch the 10 things you need to know about transgender people below: