TRANS LIFE SATISFACTION REPORT

Impact of Being Trans

Taken from the Trans Mental Health and Well being in Ireland Report by Jay McNeil, Louis Bailey, Sonja Ellis & Maeve Regan Transgender Equality Network Ireland (TENI)

Trans Life Satisfaction Report

Twenty-seven percent of participants felt that being trans had a negative impact on their lives, whilst only 12% felt it to be positive. The majority, 55%, stated that being trans had a mixed positive and negative impact upon their life satisfaction. A small minority (3%) believed that being trans had no impact on their life satisfaction, and 4% were unsure

Thus, over 90% believed that being trans or having a trans history had an impact on their life satisfaction. When compared to the UK participants, being trans seemed to have a more negative impact on life satisfaction for the Irish participants. The following comments demonstrate how being trans can have such varied effects on people’s lives

Positive Impact

"I think it’s given me a perspective in life that is different from most people. I like to think that this can be a positive thing”.

“My trans experience has taught me to see life much more positively and find satisfaction in the small everyday things”

“It took a while for me to become comfortable with the fact I was trans, but now I embrace it as a part of me as a person”.

Negative Impact

"I do not regret my transition, but it created [a] whole new set of problems for me that has cost me 3 jobs, a marriage and now my current relationship”.

"I find it difficult to be my true gender because of society’s lack of acceptance of trans people”.

Mixed Experience

"Sometimes it feels like a blessing, sometimes a curse – I appreciate that it gives me a broader perspective on life... but on a personal level it can be a burden”.

"I love being trans, I just hate that people judge me badly for it”

Coming out

For the majority of participants (65%), coming out to others as trans led to an improvement in life satisfaction. Only 6% were less satisfied as a result of telling others that they were trans. These findings suggest that being supported to talk to others and be honest about their identities could enable the majority of trans people or those with a trans history to feel more satisfied with their daily lives.

Transition

In addition to simply telling others that they were trans, many participants felt that undergoing some form of transition had improved their life satisfaction. Of the 81 participants for whom transitioning was applicable, 84% were more satisfied with their lives post-transition. Only 5% were less satisfied, with some experiencing no change or being unsure as to the impact of transition (6% and 5% respectively) 

Life Satisfaction After Transition

 

  

General Satisfaction

When asked about their general satisfaction levels, participants were satisfied with their lives (42%) 

As a more objective and standardised measure, the Diener Life Satisfaction Scale was incorporated into the survey. Higher scores represent greater life satisfaction. For the 148 participants who completed this scale, there was a tendency for greater levels of dissatisfaction with life than satisfaction.