Workplace Harassment of Transgender People: A Narrative Review
Abstract
1. Introduction
2. Methods
3. Results and Discussion
3.1. Frequency and Forms of Harassment
3.2. Interpersonal, Organizational, and Cultural Contributors of Harassment
3.3. Harassment’s Impact on Employee Well-Being
3.4. Strategies to Improve Workplace Climate
3.5. A Word on Race/Ethnicity
4. Discussion and Future Research
5. Conclusions
Author Contributions
Funding
Institutional Review Board Statement
Informed Consent Statement
Data Availability Statement
Conflicts of Interest
References
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| Study | Description |
|---|---|
| Barthelemy et al. (2022) | 37 trans academic physicists, mostly from the U.S. 49% report exclusionary behavior; 3035% report uncomfortable climate. |
| Casey et al. (2019) | U.S. sample (N = 86). 38% experienced slurs, 28% micoaggressions (not specific to work). 51% experienced sexual harassment (not specific to work; percentages are for all lgbt group members, not transgender specific). |
| Cech and Waidzunas (2021) | U.S. STEM professional (N = 1006 LGBTQ, but did not separate trans); roughly 20% experienced harassment in past year |
| Chester et al. (2014) | S. sample of 42 LGBT (unknown number of trans) medical students, residents, physicians. 12% experienced harassment at their medical center |
| Cook et al. (2025) | U.S. sample of cardiology physicians and fellows in training (62 LGBTQ; 7 non-cis identifying). Didn’t separate trans from LGBTQ. 75% experienced ‘negative experiences’ (e.g., exclusion, gossip/rumors, hostility) in past year |
| Enogieru et al. (2024) | U.S. sample (N = 4597). 2008–2009 National Transgender Discrimination Survey; 50% had experience harassment at work. |
| European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (2024) | N = 100,000+ LGBTQI+ people from the EU and neighboring countries. A majority of trans people in every country queried report being harassed in the past 12 months, but this was not specific to the workplace |
| James et al. (2016) | U.S. sample (N = 27,715). 15% verbally harassed, physically attacked, and/or sexually assaulted at work in the past year; 23% other forms: being told by their employer to present as the wrong gender in order to keep their job or having employers or coworkers share private information about their transgender status with others without permission. |
| Medina and Mahowald (2023) | U.S. sample (N = 1828 LGBTQI+); for trans respondents: 51% verbal, 41% sexual, 21% physical harassment at work in past year. 26% excluded from work events; 23% denied access to restrooms. 70% experienced some form of harassment. |
| Prunas et al. (2018) | Italian sample (N = 68); 22% reported harassment in the workplace. |
| Robinson et al. (2024) | Australian national online survey of 1000 LGBTQ aged 14–30 (trans people not separated from other LGB groups). 77% experienced workplace sexual harassment. |
| Schuyler et al. (2020) | U.S. military (N = 56 gender minority); 83.9% experienced sexual harassment. |
| Sears et al. (2024) | U.S. sample (N = 84 transgender or nonbinary participants). 68% had experienced at least one form of workplace harassment (verbal, physical, sexual) during careers; 56% in the past five years. |
| Suen et al. (2021) | 10,000+ Chinese LGBTI workers (691 trans people). 31.4% reported “negative treatment” (higher than the 21.2% overall among LGBTI). |
| Waite (2021) | 235 Canadian Federal Public service workers. 31.27% reported harassment in past 2 years. |
| Study | Description |
|---|---|
| Baiocco et al. (2023) | Developed a Job Quality Index for LGBTQ+ people that included items measuring supportive and hostile work environments (e.g., invasive, indiscreet questions, transphobic comments, deadnaming, misgendering, making you feel it would be preferable if you were cisgender). |
| Brewster et al. (2014) | Surveyed American trans workers. A workplace experiences questionnaire included items about being ignored, made crude or offensive sexual remarks, made transphobic remarks, asked personal questions, offensive jokes. |
| Cancela et al. (2024) | A 3-month longitudinal study of workplace microaggressions experienced by transgender people. Respondents reported a variety of behaviors including deadnaming, misgendering, transphobic slurs, invasions of privacy and invasive questioning, being stared at, gossiped about, and being outed. |
| Galupo and Resnick (2016) | Reports a survey of microaggressions experienced by LGBT workers (13% trans). They asked respondents about three categories of microaggressions: microassaults (verbal and nonverbal attacks), microinsults (rudeness or insensitivity), and microinvalidations (communications that negate or nullify psychological thoughts, feelings, or experiential reality). |
| Herman (2013) | Surveyed transgender and gender nonconforming people about their experiences in gendered public restrooms. The majority reported being denied access, verbally harassed, or physically assaulted in public restrooms. |
| Perales et al. (2022) | “Examples of sexual harassment include being the target of unwelcome/inappropriate physical contact, sexually explicit comments or gestures, receiving intrusive questions about your private life, and inappropriate advances or requests for sex.” |
| Resnick and Galupo (2019) | Developed a “LGBT Microaggressions Experiences at Work Scale.” Some of the items described harassing behaviors unique to transgender workers (e.g., hearing a colleague or customer being called a “tranny”; being “tokenized”; deadnaming; misgendering; bathroom exclusion; clothing enforcement). |
| Van de Cauter et al. (2021) | A review of research on return to work of transgender employees following medical leaves. Trans workers reported frequent deadnaming, misgendering, and asking inappropriate questions. Some reported name-calling, being reported for restroom use, and social exclusion. |
| Waite (2021) | Surveyed Canada’s federal public service workers. Defined harassment as “ objectionable act(s), comment(s) or display(s) that demean, belittle, or cause personal humiliation or embarrassment, and any act of intimidation or threat. |
| Watson et al. (2019) | Reports the development of the Trans Discrimination Scale, which includes items about harassment and microaggressions (e.g., refused to use your gender pronouns, received demeaning messages about your appearance, heard intrusive comments about your body) |
| Study | Description |
|---|---|
| Cancela et al. (2024) | A longitudinal study of workplace microaggressions experienced by transgender people found that harassment at Time 1 predicted emotional exhaustion 3 months later. |
| Cancela et al. (2025) | This review paper links trans minority stress to a host of negative job attitudes and mental health outcomes. |
| Cech and Waidzunas (2021) | LGBTQ+ STEM employees, including transgender individuals, reported substantially higher frequencies of stress, insomnia, depressive symptoms, and general health difficulties compared to their non-LGBTQ+ peers. |
| Ciprikis et al. (2020) | Reports analyses of U.S. wage gap and employment gap data comparing trans and non-trans workers. They suggest that “43 per cent of the wage differential is unexplained and may be due to discrimination.” |
| Hill et al. (2023) | Australian study (1446 trans people). Suicide attempts were higher among those who experienced sexual harassment; Suicide ideation higher for those who felt less accepted at work. |
| Hinds et al. (2024) | Sexual harassment and assault predicted hazardous alcohol and drug use among a sample U.S. sexual and gender minority (SGM) individuals; harassment experiences were not specific to the workplace. |
| James et al. (2016) | Analyzed 2015 U.S. transgender survey. 77% who had a job in the past year took steps to avoid mistreatment in the workplace, such as hiding or delaying their gender transition or quitting their job. |
| Jongbloed et al. (2025) | LGBTQ+ medical residents in otolaryngology, many of whom identified as transgender, reported lower satisfaction with their residency programs and were more likely to consider leaving due to hostile or unsupportive environments. |
| Moradi (2009) | Among a U.S. sample of LGBT military vets (N = 445), harassment based on sexual orientation was negatively associated with social cohesion in the workplace, which in turn reduced feelings of belonging and task-related cooperation. |
| McNeil et al. (2013) | Irish study (N = 164 trans participants). 14% reported workplace harassment. 9% left a job due to harassment or discrimination, with no other job to go to |
| Oliveira et al. (2025) | Portuguese sample. LGBTQIA+ individuals, particularly transgender people, reported significantly poorer occupational health indicators and elevated absenteeism, but the study did not ask about harassment. |
| Perales et al. (2025) | Data from large (45,000) Australian workplace survey; found large negative relationships of sexual harassment and employee well-being, and the relationships were strong for LGBTQ+ employees. Did not separate trans from other LGBTQ+ populations. |
| Watson et al. (2019) | As part of the development of a trans discrimination scale, higher levels of transgender-related harassment were significantly correlated with internalized transphobia, nondisclosure, and psychological distress. |
| Witte et al. (2020) | Transgender and nonbinary individuals reported markedly higher lifetime rates of suicidality compared with their cisgender peers in veterinary medicine. |
| Study | Description |
|---|---|
| Balakrishnan and Mohaptra (2022) | Highlights the difference between having formal policies and actively enforcing the policies. Although 61% of surveyed workplaces had anti-discrimination policies on record, only 34% of non-cis participants indicated their organizations actively conducted sensitization programs about those policies. |
| Bradley et al. (2024) | Signaling inclusion without operational follow-through fails to protect marginalized employees. |
| Ewton and Lingas (2015) | Advocate for “activating signals”—embodying commitment to diversity through everyday, visible actions. |
| Fletcher and Marvell (2023) | Discusses allyship. Positive diversity and inclusion climate moderates the impact of social dominance orientation among cisgender employees, thereby increasing allyship intentions. Among transgender employees, perceived allyship was associated with greater psychological safety, authenticity, and life satisfaction. |
| Ho et al. (2023) | A scoping review of the importance of allyship for LGBTQ+ employees’ well-being. |
| Huffman et al. (2021) | Support from supervisors and coworkers has a more direct impact on job satisfaction and gender identity openness than organizational policies alone. |
| Matsutaka et al. (2024) | Describes the PRIDE training intervention for human resources professionals to reduce workplace transphobia and homophobia. |
| McQuillan et al. (2024) | Trans K-12 educators working in schools with aligned policy, organizational support, and affirming leadership reported the highest levels of safety and job satisfaction. |
| Perales (2022) | Diversity training and ally networks are associated with increased well-being among LGBTQ+ employees. |
| Perales et al. (2022) | Linguistic inclusion, formal or informal, significantly associated with improved well-being and feelings of inclusion among trans employees. |
| Schönauer et al. (2025) | Support from immediate colleagues and supervisors was more strongly linked to authenticity at work than were formal institutional practices |
| Zindel and de Vries (2024) | Reports and experiment showing that many LGBTQ+ employees are willing to sacrifice aspects of their career advancement or monetary compensation for an inclusive, safe work climate. |
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Kubicki, R.; Vandello, J.A. Workplace Harassment of Transgender People: A Narrative Review. Behav. Sci. 2026, 16, 479. https://doi.org/10.3390/bs16040479
Kubicki R, Vandello JA. Workplace Harassment of Transgender People: A Narrative Review. Behavioral Sciences. 2026; 16(4):479. https://doi.org/10.3390/bs16040479
Chicago/Turabian StyleKubicki, RJ, and Joseph A. Vandello. 2026. "Workplace Harassment of Transgender People: A Narrative Review" Behavioral Sciences 16, no. 4: 479. https://doi.org/10.3390/bs16040479
APA StyleKubicki, R., & Vandello, J. A. (2026). Workplace Harassment of Transgender People: A Narrative Review. Behavioral Sciences, 16(4), 479. https://doi.org/10.3390/bs16040479

