Transgender people experience “mistreatment, harassment and violence in every aspect of life,” according to the findings of the U.S. Transgender Survey (USTS), which have been published in The Report of the 2015 Transgender Survey.

According to the report’s executive summary, the USTS included 27,715 respondents from all 50 states, the District of Columbia and several territories, making it the largest survey of its kind in the country. Conducted in the summer of 2015, the USTS was an anonymous online survey that provided a look at multiple aspects of life such as housing, employment, education, criminal justice and health.

Regarding HIV/AIDS, the summary noted:

  • Respondents were living with HIV (1.4%) at nearly five times the rate in the U.S. population (0.3%).

  • HIV rates were higher among transgender women (3.4%), especially transgender women of color. Nearly one in five (19%) Black transgender women were living with HIV, and American Indian (4.6%) and Latina (4.4%) women also reported higher rates.

Overall, the survey findings portrayed pervasive mistreatment and violence, severe economic hardship and instability, and harmful effects on physical and mental health. Despite these challenges, “respondents’ experiences also show some of the positive impacts of growing visibility and acceptance of transgender people in the United States,” states the summary. “One such indication is that an unprecedented number—nearly 28,000—of transgender people completed the survey, more than four times the number of respondents in the 2008–09 NTDS [National Transgender Discrimination Survey, the groundbreaking survey to which this serves as a follow-up]. This number of transgender people who elevated their voices reflects the historic growth in visibility that the transgender community has seen in recent years.”

You can download the complete report here.

And below is a video from the report’s launch event, including a presentation of key findings. Participants include Sandy E. James and Mara Keisling of the National Center for Transgender Equality, Ashe McGovern of the Center for Gender and Sexuality Law at Columbia Law School and community member Sharron Cooks.