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The country’s transgender population has doubled since last counted five years ago, likely from higher visibility and more willingness to come out.
More Americans are coming out as transgender despite one of the toughest years for transgender rights, according to a new survey from the Williams Institute.
The UCLA Law center released data that estimates about 1.4 million Americans, or about 0.6 percent of the population, identify as transgender. That's double the 700,000 Americans the survey found in 2011.
"A perceived increase in visibility and social acceptance of transgender people may increase the number of individuals willing to identify as transgender on a government-administered survey," the survey report said.
The report also pointed to increased reporting resources from individual states over the past five years.
The news comes at a time when transgender rights have pitted states and governors against the federal government. North Carolina's HB2 law, preventing transgender people from using the bathroom consistent with their gender identity, has led to wide-ranging corporate backlash and boycotts from entertainers.
According to the survey, North Carolina has about 45,000 transgender residents, 0.6 percent of the population, and ranks 16 among states for transgender residents.
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