OK, OK, so Peg Blerguson isn't so funny;Video: 10 things not to ask a transgendered person

Here at Aksarbent, we're big fans of Craig Ferguson, who some time ago decided to have some fun with Oprah Winfrey by introducing his own "long-lost half sister." We posted a video of the first appearance of Peg, and as you can see if you look left, it has been quite popular. In fact, that post took a huge spike in traffic (well, huge by OUR standards, not JoeMyGod's or Towleroad's) yesterday about midnight due to the fact that a clutch of role-playing gamers in one of their forums apparently pounced on the post and presumably have started using the Peg persona in whatever it is they do.
     Simpletons that we are at Aksarbent, we never looked past the incongruity of a rather butch-looking writer in skag drag having a laugh. Unfortunately for us, the killjoys at Pam's House Blend were not amused and took the opportunity to drop another study on us, their faithful readers. (We don't wanna say that PHB is nerdy, but have you seen the legal agreement for users of the site? Ouch!)
     Anyway, the study is pretty depressing, but important, so we thought we'd boost from PHB some verbiage they wrote and excerpted from the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force and the National Center for Transgender Equality (NCTE), which just released a comprehensive new report yesterday, "Injustice at Every Turn" that outlines the findings in the National Transgender Discrimination Survey (NTDS).

This is the first national comprehensive study of its kind, based on responses from over 6,450 participants.

Perhaps Mr. Ferguson should be emailed a copy to read. He would learn how reinforcing bias through imagery continues to foment discrimination against transgender and gender non-conforming people in a wide range of areas, including education, health care, employment, and housing. From the report:

• Respondents were nearly four times more likely to live in extreme poverty, with household income of less than $10,000.
• Respondents were twice as likely to be unemployed compared to the population as a whole. Half of those surveyed reported experiencing harassment or other mistreatment in the workplace, and one in four were fired because of their gender identity or expression.
• While discrimination was pervasive for the entire sample, it was particularly pronounced for people of color. African-American transgender respondents fared far worse than all others in many areas studied.
• Housing discrimination was also common. 19% reported being refused a home or apartment and 11% reported being evicted because of their gender identity or expression. One in five respondents experienced homelessness because of their gender identity or expression.
• An astonishing 41% of respondents reported attempting suicide, compared to only 1.6% of the general population.
• Discrimination in health care and poor health outcomes were frequently experienced by respondents. 19% reported being refused care due to bias against transgender or gender-nonconforming people, with this figure even higher for respondents of color. Respondents also had over four times the national average of HIV infection.
• Harassment by law enforcement was reported by 22% of respondents and nearly half were uncomfortable seeking police assistance.
• Despite the hardships they often face, transgender and gender non-conforming persons persevere. Over 78% reported feeling more comfortable at work and their performance improving after transitioning, despite the same levels of harassment in the workplace. 

And now, in the spirit of healing, and of reexamining our insensitivity, and, above all, in throwing big red slabs of snark to our insatiable readers, we revisit Calpernia Addam's poised diatribe about what you should never ask a male-to-female transgendered person.