90% of trans Americans fear election impact on healthcare, research shows

Trans healthcare, along with general life issues, has received significant media attention and has been the focus of numerous legislative proposals since the last presidential election. With the upcoming 2024 Harris-Trump election, digital healthcare service FOLX HEALTH provided Teen Vogue with exclusive insights from their new survey on the sentiments of trans and nonbinary Americans regarding the political landscape.

As ‘Yahoo! News’ reports, the survey gathered feedback from more than 1,500 trans individuals, with half living in states that voted Republican in 2020 and the other half in states that voted Democrat. “I won’t mince my words. Our community, myself included, is concerned about the increasing attacks on LGBTQ+ rights,” FOLX CEO Liana Douillet Guzmán shared with Teen Vogue.

Over the past year, 1 in 5 trans individuals reported losing healthcare access “as a result of anti-LGBTQ policies and laws,” and 58% considered relocating to a different state; those in states with more anti-LGBTQ+ policies reported higher incidences.

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Additionally, 55% were “unable to access mental health treatment when needed, primarily due to difficulties in finding LGBTQ-affirming providers.” Two-thirds of respondents “experienced frequent mental health distress this past month,” a rate higher than the national average.

Nine out of ten respondents believe the 2024 election will “have a major impact on access to healthcare for LGBTQ people nationwide.” Furthermore, 67% “have made or are planning to make changes to their use of gender-affirming care due to concerns about the election.”

An increasing 92% expressed anxiety about the upcoming presidential election. According to FOLX, “Enthusiasm and hopelessness about the presidential election remain low, but have increased three to four times since Biden left the race.”

In the Harris versus Trump context, only 8% felt that Trump adequately addresses LGBTQ+ concerns, compared to 28% for Harris.

A significant 90% of respondents are registered voters. The top three priorities for the trans adults surveyed were LGBTQ+ issues, including healthcare access; threats to democracy; and the conflict in Gaza.

Most respondents reported ongoing negative effects on their mental health and well-being, relationships, and safety concerns for themselves or their families “due to the prevailing political discourse.” Just under 60% experienced bullying, either in real life or online, with political ties.

Predictably, under these circumstances, three-quarters of respondents reported taking “preventative measures” ahead of the election's potential outcomes, including stockpiling gender-affirming medication, expediting passport renewals, and updating other essential documents.

Guzmán added, "We are paying attention to the candidates in the race, and we will not stop advocating for our members until we achieve our goals of equitable health care and social acceptance for all queer and trans individuals.”

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