This preprint is under consideration at BMC Public Health. A preprint is a preliminary version of a manuscript that has not completed peer review at a journal. Research Square does not conduct peer review prior to posting preprints. The posting of a preprint on this server should not be interpreted as an endorsement of its validity or suitability for dissemination as established information or for guiding clinical practice.
Learn more about In Review
Research Article
Experiences and factors associated with transphobic hate crimes among transgender women in the San Francisco Bay Area: comparisons across race
Akua Gyamerah
University of California, San Francisco
Corresponding Author
License:
This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License. Read Full License
Background
Trans women experience high rates of gender-based violence (GBV). Little is understood about factors that shape transphobic hate crimes (a form of GBV) and racial/ethnic variation in these experiences. To contextualize GBV risk and police reporting, we examined self-reported types and correlates of transphobic hate crimes by racial/ethnic group of trans women in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Methods
From 2016-2018, trans women participated in an HIV epidemiological study. Data analyses (N=629) examined self-reported experiences of transphobic hate crimes by race/ethnicity, and whether hate crimes were reported to the police. Chi-square tests and simple logistic regression examined sociocultural and gender identity factors associated with transphobic violence experiences and police reporting.
Results
About 45.8% of participants reported ever experiencing transphobic hate crime; only 48.9% of these were reported to the police. Black (47.9%) and Latina (49.0%) trans women reported a higher prevalence of battery with a weapon; White (26.7%) and trans women of “other” race/ethnicities (25.0%) reported a higher prevalence of sexual assault (p=0.001). Having one’s gender questioned, history of sex work, homelessness as a child and adult, and a history incarceration were associated with higher odds of experiencing transphobic hate crime. Trans women who felt their gender identity questioned had lower odds of reporting a hate crime to the police compared to those did not feel questioned.
Conclusions
A high proportion of trans women experienced transphobic hate crime, with significant socio-structural risk factors and racial differences by crime type. However, crimes were underreported to the police. Interventions that address structural factors can yield violence prevention benefits.
Keywords
Transgender women, hate crimes, violence, transphobia, gender-based violence
Badges
Prescreen
This manuscript passed our Prescreen assessment
Complete author information
Appropriate declaration statements
Potential risks to human health
Prescreen
Peer Review Timeline
CURRENT STATUS: Under Review
Version 1
Posted 04 Jan, 2021
No community comments so far
Reviewers invited
Invitations sent on 31 Dec, 2020
Editor assigned
On 31 Dec, 2020
Editor invited
On 30 Dec, 2020
Submission checks complete
On 30 Dec, 2020
First submitted
On 24 Dec, 2020
Metrics
Comments: 0
PDF Downloads: ...
HTML Views: ...
Learn more about our company.
This preprint is under consideration at BMC Public Health. A preprint is a preliminary version of a manuscript that has not completed peer review at a journal. Research Square does not conduct peer review prior to posting preprints. The posting of a preprint on this server should not be interpreted as an endorsement of its validity or suitability for dissemination as established information or for guiding clinical practice.
Learn more about In Review
Research Article
Experiences and factors associated with transphobic hate crimes among transgender women in the San Francisco Bay Area: comparisons across race
Akua Gyamerah
University of California, San Francisco
Corresponding Author
Badges
Prescreen
This manuscript passed our Prescreen assessment
Complete author information
Appropriate declaration statements
Potential risks to human health
Prescreen
Peer Review Timeline
CURRENT STATUS: Under Review
Version 1
Posted 04 Jan, 2021
No community comments so far
Reviewers invited
Invitations sent on 31 Dec, 2020
Editor assigned
On 31 Dec, 2020
Editor invited
On 30 Dec, 2020
Submission checks complete
On 30 Dec, 2020
First submitted
On 24 Dec, 2020
Metrics
Comments: 0
PDF Downloads: ...
HTML Views: ...
License:
This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License. Read Full License
Background
Trans women experience high rates of gender-based violence (GBV). Little is understood about factors that shape transphobic hate crimes (a form of GBV) and racial/ethnic variation in these experiences. To contextualize GBV risk and police reporting, we examined self-reported types and correlates of transphobic hate crimes by racial/ethnic group of trans women in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Methods
From 2016-2018, trans women participated in an HIV epidemiological study. Data analyses (N=629) examined self-reported experiences of transphobic hate crimes by race/ethnicity, and whether hate crimes were reported to the police. Chi-square tests and simple logistic regression examined sociocultural and gender identity factors associated with transphobic violence experiences and police reporting.
Results
About 45.8% of participants reported ever experiencing transphobic hate crime; only 48.9% of these were reported to the police. Black (47.9%) and Latina (49.0%) trans women reported a higher prevalence of battery with a weapon; White (26.7%) and trans women of “other” race/ethnicities (25.0%) reported a higher prevalence of sexual assault (p=0.001). Having one’s gender questioned, history of sex work, homelessness as a child and adult, and a history incarceration were associated with higher odds of experiencing transphobic hate crime. Trans women who felt their gender identity questioned had lower odds of reporting a hate crime to the police compared to those did not feel questioned.
Conclusions
A high proportion of trans women experienced transphobic hate crime, with significant socio-structural risk factors and racial differences by crime type. However, crimes were underreported to the police. Interventions that address structural factors can yield violence prevention benefits.