Trans Pulse Canada recently launched a groundbreaking report on the state of trans and non-binary health and healthcare access in Canada. The Mar. 10 report brought together the findings from 2,873 surveys completed by trans and non-binary people across Canada over a 10-week period in 2019.

While it is well-understood that trans people in Canada experience significant health disparities compared to cisgender individuals—and there are a number of other studies that demonstrate as much—this report provides the first national, all-ages data on just what those disparities and unmet health needs look like.

This report confirms that trans people in Canada indeed face massive inequities not only when it comes to their health and well-being, but across various facets of their lives.

Here are some takeaways from the Trans Pulse Canada report.

Overall health

Access to stable housing, sufficient food, consistent income and safety in public are key social determinants of health that, when lacking, have a significant impact on the health and well-being of individuals and communities. Despite significant gains, such as trans rights legislation, a federal LGBTQ2 Secretariat and other achievements, trans people continue to experience massive inequities when it comes to their housing, food sustainability and levels of income.

When it comes to the health of trans people in Canada, 27 percent of respondents rated their health as fair or poor, and 56 percent rated their mental health specifically as either fair or poor. Forty-three percent identified themselves as psychiatric survivors, mad or a person living with mental illness, while 19 percent reported living with disabilities.

Nineteen percent of respondents did not have a primary healthcare provider, which is almost four percent more than the national average.