This week’s LGBTQ Corner will focus mostly on issues faced by the transgender community around the world. It’s no secret that the world has been debating about the rights of the lesbian and gay community and that it’s starting to become a winning battle. However, it wasn’t until recently that the true debate for the rights of the transgendered community began. Laws are being proposed, and sometimes even passed, in states around the U.S., and many countries are pulling far ahead of the states in their endeavors to provide equal rights to all people, including those in the LGBT community.

Trans Americans live in poverty

A recent study suggests that Trans Americans are four times more likely to live in poverty than their cisgendered counterparts. The numbers are raised higher when dealing with race, gender, and class. Trans individuals are more than four times as likely to live in a household with a yearly income of $10,000 or less. These numbers raise if you’re talking about Trans people of color. The Asian American/Pacific Islander and Latino Trans community is almost six times as likely to live in poverty as their cisgendered counterparts.

These people aren’t living in Poverty because they want to, but because they are being forced there. The U.S. still doesn’t have a clear federal law to protect Trans employees from discrimination in the workplace, and students from hostile educational environments. Trans individuals have problems finding housing, jobs, safe schools, and even obtaining legal identification documents with correct information. All together, the Trans community faces a wall that is almost impossible to climb.

However, poverty isn’t the only problem faced by the American Trans community. In fact, the murder rate of Trans women continues to skyrocket and African American Trans women are at a much higher risk. Not even two full months into 2015, there has been a reported six murders of Trans women. And some schools and states are jailing and fining Trans individuals for using the “wrong” bathroom. Crimes committed against Trans individuals receive little to no popular media coverage, leaving the entire country unaware about the hardships faced by an entire community of people.

British clinic sees increase in young Trans patients

London’s young people are becoming more comfortable and aware of their gender identities, as reported by a London clinic that has reported a major increase in Trans patients in the last four years. Tavistock and Portman Clinic sees Trans individuals under the age of 18 and has watched their numbers drastically rise from 91 in 2010 to almost 450 in 2014.

Specialist and Psychotherapist Christina Richards is sure that the increase in openness among young trans individuals is the increased understanding and acceptance of LGBT issues in Europe and possibly the more accessible medical coverage.

Woldwide, 41 percent of Trans individuals attempt suicide. Identifying and seeking healthcare has proved that young Trans individuals spend less time feeling gender-related stress, hopefully leading to a happy and more accepted generation in the trans community.

Israel and Canadian Province relax Trans barriers

Israel and the Canadian province of Manitoba recently announced that Trans citizens will no longer be required to provide proof of gender confirmation surgery to legally change their gender on identifying documents.

In Manitoba, citizens no longer need surgery, but must declare that they are transitioning and provide a corroborating letter from a healthcare provider.

Officials from Israel and Manitoba confirm that they decision to loosen its trans barriers is to conform more closely with modern society.

The Vital Statistics Agency is working on expanding the policy changes to other Canadian provinces.