Trans(form) is a month-long series on MarieClaire.com that explores the challenges, surprises, and victories of transitioning today. See the full collection here.



The life of a transgender person—in the U.S. and around the world—can be vastly challenging and rife with discrimination. But it can also be joyful, triumphant, and transformative—not just for the individual, but for those who love and accept them.

Thanks to the likes of Caitlyn Jenner and Laverne Cox, the numbers of Americans who fall into that last camp are growing. But we still have a long way to go on the awareness front.

Here, a look at the landscape of being transgender today. These numbers and statistics give you only a glimpse into the community—this is territory that research, science, and society are only on the cusp of breaching. But at least we've started.