The majority of transgender employees, 82%, reported experiencing workplace discrimination or harassment because of their gender identity or sexual orientation at some point in their lives, according to a new survey.

The survey, conducted by the Williams Institute at the UCLA School of Law, an LGBTQ research think tank, defined “discrimination and harassment” as being fired, not hired, not promoted, or verbally, sexually or physically harassed. Trans employees were more likely to report such experiences than cisgender lesbian, gay, bisexual and queer employees, at 45%, and nonbinary employees, at 59%.

“Transgender people are a particularly vulnerable and marginalized group in the workplace,” Brad Sears, lead author of the report and founding executive director at the Williams Institute, said in a statement. “Many are not bringing their full selves to work and face unsupportive workplace environments, which makes them less likely to fully invest in their current employer and job.” 

Previous research from the Williams Institute has estimated that there are about 1.3 million trans adults in the U.S. The new report surveyed 1,902 LGBTQ adults in the workforce, including 86 trans adults, in the summer of 2023, and compared the experiences of trans adults to their cisgender lesbian, gay, bisexual and queer peers.

Half of the trans adults surveyed were people of color and 6 in 10 were making less than $50,000 a year. Of the trans respondents who reported having experienced workplace discrimination or harassment at some point in their lives, 65% reported experiencing verbal harassment, 34% reported experiencing physical harassment and 42% reported experiencing sexual harassment.

Many of the trans respondents provided examples of being persistently misgendered or deadnamed, referring to someone intentionally using the incorrect pronouns or their previous name, and reported that colleagues asked invasive questions about their body or transition, among other types of verbal harassment. 

The report includes quotes from respondents who described some of their experiences. For example, one trans employee from Massachusetts said their boss, supervisor and co-workers all asked them too many personal questions “about how I do things as a trans person,” including how they get dressed and wear a binder to flatten their chest and how their sexuality changed when they transitioned. 

Trans employees who reported experiencing discrimination were two to four times more likely than cisgender LGBQ employees to report being fired (12% vs. 5%), not being hired (20% vs 5%) or not being given career advancement opportunities (15% vs 5%), based on their gender identity or sexual orientation in the past year. 

Trans people attempted to mitigate workplace discrimination and harassment by concealing their gender identity at work or by looking for another job, according to the report. More than 1 in 3 trans respondents, or 36%, said they are not out as trans to their current supervisor; 13% said they are not out as trans to any of their co-workers; 71% said they’ve engaged in behaviors to cover up their gender identity, such as changing their voice or mannerisms while at work; and 67% said they had left a job because of how they were treated based on their gender identity or sexual orientation.