New survey doubles the estimate of transgender adults in US
The military is moving to allow transgender service members to serve openly, and there is intense debate nationwide over transgender people's access to public bathrooms.
The new survey was conducted by four scholars and analysts affiliated with the Williams Institute, a think tank at the UCLA School of Law that specializes in research on issues affecting lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transgender people.
The new estimate, he said, resulted from the availability of much more comprehensive data, as well as the increased willingness of transgender people to be open about their gender identity.
The new survey used data from the 2014 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, a 50-state survey conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Gates said young adults ages 18-24 and ethnic minorities had higher than average rates of identifying as transgender.