The coronavirus pandemic is magnifying vulnerabilities and inequities facing the transgender community.

Earlier this week, the Supreme Court issued a landmark decision to protect gay and transgender people from workplace discrimination, marking the first major case on transgender rights in the U.S.

But transgender people are more likely to report losing their job due to coronavirus, exacerbating historically high rates of unemployment.

Discrimination in the job market leads to persistent economic and health disparities with transgender people four times more likely to report a household income under $10,000 per year and less likely to have health insurance.

Among those who do have access to health insurance, one in four have been denied coverage because of their gender identity. 

Black transgender Americans are particularly vulnerable, given the confluence of anti-trans and race discrimination. They are more likely to report discrimination in every area of life – from the job market, to housing, physical and sexual assault and access to medical care.

A recent move by the Trump Administration would allow doctors, hospitals and insurance providers to discriminate against transgender patients, feeding anxieties among transgender people about sharing personal medical records with doctors even when faced with the acute health risks of COVID-19.