Our new study finds that 59% of transgender and nonbinary adults surveyed in California experienced at least one incident of violence or harassment in the year before completing the 2022 U.S. Transgender Survey.

Respondents with lower incomes or less education reported higher rates of physical violence and threats than those with higher incomes or more education. Younger participants reported more online and verbal harassment.

Transgender visibility emerged as the strongest and most consistent predictor across all forms of violence and harassment: respondents who were more often perceived as transgender reported higher rates of every type of victimization.

Our new review of 25 years of research on interactions between LGBTQ people and law enforcement finds that LGBTQ communities—particularly LGBTQ people of color, youth, and transgender and gender nonconforming individuals—have faced profiling, entrapment, discrimination, harassment, and violence from law enforcement for decades, and this mistreatment continues to be widespread.

For instance, a 2021 Williams Institute report found that LGBQ people were nearly six times as likely as the general population (6% vs. 1%) to have been stopped by police in a public space. 

The Williams Institute is seeking an Executive Director to help guide our next chapter. Candidates should have a passion for rigorous research on sexual orientation and gender identity law and public policy, a strong appreciation for the Institute’s voice and values, and deep understanding of the policy issues facing LGBTQ communities. Ideal candidates will hold a J.D. or social science Ph.D., bring senior leadership experience, and have a proven record of innovation and collaboration across a broad range of partners and audiences.

Deadline to apply: January 2, 2026

We are looking for a law fellow to engage in cutting-edge and high-quality research and analysis related to sexual orientation and gender identity law and public policy. The fellow will conduct legal and multidisciplinary research on the discrimination facing LGBTQ people, LGBTQ health, LGBTQ families, and the criminal justice system, among other topics. The position will be for a two-year term and will be based in Los Angeles, California.

Deadline to apply: January 17, 2026

The Williams Institute’s Global SOGIESC Research Grants Program is designed to encourage new empirical research focused on LGBTI+ populations in the least developed, low- and middle-income countries and amplify the voices of researchers from those regions. The program also aims to strengthen research capacity among participants by supporting networking and knowledge exchange (including a colloquium to present research findings) and providing mentorship, where needed, from Williams Institute scholars.

Join us on World AIDS Day for a discussion on HIV criminalization in the United States. Learn who is most affected by the criminalization of HIV and hear from advocates and policymakers who are advocating for reform, 40 years into the HIV epidemic.

The Williams Institute at UCLA School of Law is an academic research institute dedicated to conducting rigorous, independent research on sexual orientation and gender identity law and public policy.