Not so long ago transgender was primarily a source of prurient curiosity and medical mystification, poorly understood and poorly accepted. It is better understood today, but it is still tough to “come out” as transgender, still likely to elicit social disapproval, rejection, teasing and bullying.
It is surprisingly hard to say how common transgender is. A survey in 1998 reported very low rates – around eight per 100,000. However, this more than likely reflected the social difficulties of admitting to a transgender identity.
A decade later, as social acceptance grew, the figure stood at around 20 per 100,000. This is still almost certainly an underestimate of the phenomenon: it includes only those seeking treatment for what the medical profession call gender dysphoria.
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