A newly-released study from The Williams Institute at the UCLA School of Law found that 93 percent of transgender adults surveyed after the 2024 election but before the inauguration were concerned about what a Trump presidency might mean for transgender people.
Nearly two-thirds of the sample said they were “very concerned” (40 percent) or “somewhat concerned” (25 percent) about their future access to gender-affirming care. More than a quarter (28 percent) — especially those with lower incomes or living in less-affirming states — reported that they were delaying or forgoing certain aspects of gender-affirming care they had planned to pursue.
The survey’s authors pointed out that respondents were adults concerned about access to care for themselves. While legislation at the state level has largely focused on access to care for transgender youth, they noted, the Trump administration, in its first two months, has not only restricted access to gender-affirming care for youth but also cut coverage of gender-affirming care for veterans and defunded federal grants that support providers of gender-affirming care for young adults as well as youth.
Using data collected from 302 transgender, nonbinary and gender-diverse adults in December 2024, researchers examined the fears, concerns, resilience, and coping strategies of transgender individuals in response to the 2024 election results and the then-upcoming Trump presidency.
Results show that a large majority of respondents were more concerned after the election about being discriminated against (83 percent), being the victim of a hate crime (80 percent), and being verbally (79 percent) or physically (74 percent) attacked.
Three-quarters of respondents (73 percent) were concerned that the quality of their health care in general would become worse.
Transgender participants also voiced concerns about their legal rights under the Trump administration. In the first month after the election, 42 percent had taken at least one legal action to protect themselves, including updating their IDs (29 percent), securing parental rights (33 percent), or adjusting their health insurance (10 percent).
Approximately 80 percent of respondents said that they would make changes to their behavior, appearance, or speech to downplay visibility as a transgender person. One-third (33 percent) said they were socially isolating and avoiding public places and activities.
“The fear that transgender people have been experiencing since the election, along with the actions taken out of necessity and the associated costs, underscore the very real harm being inflicted on transgender individuals and communities — especially those in less affirming states,” said lead author Abbie E. Goldberg, affiliated scholar at the Williams Institute and professor of psychology at Clark University.
“Many of the actions and behaviors they are doing to keep themselves safe come with costs to their health and well-being.”
Many transgender respondents reported actively taking steps to protect and care for themselves, their families and their communities in various ways, such as learning about their rights, taking care of their health, spending time with community and participating in activism, advocacy and mutual aid.
“In the face of immense challenges, transgender people are showing remarkable resilience, determination, and strong community connections and support,” said study author Brad Sears, distinguished senior scholar of law and policy at the Williams Institute. “It is vital that research examines the impact of existing laws and policies on transgender people as well as the actions the transgender community to uplift and empower themselves.”
— Tammye Nash