Are Trans People in Ontario Underpaid? Well, Yes

by Brandon Miller · 2010-09-06 13:00:00 UTC
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The optimist in me would say that the following news I'm about to report has some good to it. The fact that trans people are highly educated means that they have access to the same sort of institutions that all non-trans folk do here in Ontario, right? But I'm not really an optimist, so let's leave that point alone and get down to the nitty gritty: trans people aren't being paid what they are worth.

The Trans Pulse Survey talked to 433 trans-identified people in the province of Ontario. Half of those surveyed make less than $15,000 a year. That's pretty much my rent here in Toronto. Only seven percent of the respondents make more than $80,000 a year.

Another 21 percent of trans people surveyed make between $15,000 and $29,999 a year, which is still too little to live on, in my opinion. And it's shocking because a whopping 71 percent of these people have attended college or university. In fact, 43 percent of respondents hold at least an undergraduate degree.

Let's do the math, then. Seventy-one percent of trans people surveyed have gone to college and yet 71 percent live on under $30,000 a year. Something smells strange, and it's not just the Starbucks I'm sitting in.

Part of the problem might be that 68 percent of the trans people surveyed live outside of Toronto. While Toronto is a progressive city, there are not as many trans-positive services and outlets across Ontario as a whole. In many smaller communities, there doesn't exist one gay bar, let alone a trans-friendly hangout. And since most people I know get jobs through networking, an LGBT network could go a long way in many small towns.

It's also important to note that 27 percent of the trans people identified are parents. I'm hoping it's 27 percent from the middle-income bracket, but we all know that's not how life works. It's altogether depressing to confront these facts and figures and know that there's no system in place to make things better. At least not yet.

Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons

Brandon Miller is a freelance writer and editor from Toronto, Ontario.
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