Center for Applied Transgender Studies

We are an independent nonprofit research organization run by transgender people for transgender people. We believe that dedication to public service and commitment to justice should be at the heart of academic inquiry. We also believe that education should not only occur in classrooms. Guided by those beliefs, we facilitate and promote the empirical study of transgender issues with the ultimate aim of informing policy-making and public discourse in ways that improve quality of life for the transgender community. 

We bring together academic rigor and activist passion to identify, analyze, and, ultimately, propose solutions to the greatest issues facing transgender communities across the globe. The Fellows who make up our Center each pursue field-defining research with profound practical implications, and by coming together outside the disciplinary silos that define the academy, we hope to generate new insights and ideas that will better society.

The diversity of our Fellows and the differences of our academic backgrounds, cultural heritages, and life experiences make our work more meaningful. We are committed to ensuring that our work advocates for the needs of all transgender people, and that the research our Center sponsors is made free and available to the publics we serve.