Groundbreaking Survey Sheds New Light on Trans Life in Maryland

Respondents Have Struggled With Health Care Access, Violence, Discrimination

Over three-quarters of trans people in Maryland worried about being negatively judged when seeking health care and nearly a third delayed necessary treatment, according to one finding of a new study of the state’s trans population conducted in part by a University of Maryland doctoral student.

The Maryland Trans Survey, the largest of its kind ever in the state, examined a range of health care, economic, legal and discrimination experiences among 750 trans participants across all counties and Baltimore. It was conducted by the community organization Trans Maryland and the Queer/Trans Collective for Research on Equity and Wellness, which conducts community-based research to ensure representation of queer and trans communities in scientific literature. It was released in advance of Sunday’s international observance of the Transgender Day of Visibility.

The survey, conducted online from May to December 2023, also found that trans people in Maryland experience an alarming rate of violence and victimization, with 78.2% reporting at least one instance of verbal abuse and 46.1% reporting physical or sexual assault in their life. Other findings included income and employment trends, such as 22.7% of respondents experiencing a major financial crisis in the last year, and insights about identity documents, with just over half reporting they lack an ID that reflects their gender.

“We really wanted to have data that elucidated some of those experiences with policies where the state has strengths, and also where the state has room to grow,” said M Pease ’22, a counseling psychology doctoral student at UMD, a survey research consultant, and lead author of the initial findings report. The other authors included project lead Son Taylor from Towson University, Trans Maryland Executive Director Lee Blinder, Principal Investigator and Professor Paz Galupo and postdoctoral researcher Zakary Clements, both at Washington University in St. Louis.

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Published on Mon, Apr 1, 2024 - 10:04AM