While many consider the transgender movement the next civil rights frontier, the politics and attitudes towards those who bridge the gender binary has not always been one of fear and discrimination. Research has consistently demonstrated that in the United States, minority populations bear a disproportionate burden of mental and physical illness. Gender minorities are no exception, with recent studies demonstrating a higher prevalence of attempted suicide, depression, and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in contrast to the general U.S. population (James, Herman, Rankin, Keisling, Mottet, & Anafi, 2015). An area of research which remains understudied is this population’s experience of trauma, stress and consequent psychopathology.
