Married transgender couples less likely to experience discrimination

According to the study, by Michigan State University, well-established marital status may advantage transgender couples.

Transgender people, particularly women, who are married are less likely to experience discrimination than their unmarried counterparts, suggests a new study.

Researchers analysed the 4,286 transgender participants in the National Transgender Discrimination Survey. (Shutterstock)

The findings, suggested by Michigan State University, highlight that well-established marital status may also advantage transgender couples. According to researchers, legalising of same-sex marriage may help reduce stigma and discrimination, but there is certainly a long way to go to fully eliminate the discrimination.

“Past research suggests marriage is related to greater access to economic, social and psychological resources and we believe that access to such resources helps transgender people combat life stressors related to their gender-minority status, including discrimination,” said principal investigator Hui Liu. “Our findings highlight the importance of providing gender and sexual minorities legal access to marriage,” Liu added.

Researchers analysed the 4,286 transgender participants in the National Transgender Discrimination Survey. The researchers examined discrimination in four key domains of life: workplace, family, health care and public accommodations. The findings indicated that the married transgender people are less likely to experience perceived discrimination than their unmarried transgender counterparts, in particular their cohabiting or previously-married counterparts. The discrimination is seen more among transgender women than among transgender men.

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