Remembering the 311 trans people murdered in the last year on Transgender Day of Remembrance
Transgender activists and their supporters take part in a candle light vigil held as part of Transgender Day of Remembrance. (MANJUNATH KIRAN/AFP via Getty Images)
Candles will be lit, bouquets of flowers laid and silences taken as trans folk and allies come together to celebrate Trans Day of Remembrance.
To coincide with the day dedicated to paying respect to the trans folk who have lost their lives, a trans activist group released a damning report revealing that 311 trans people have been killed in the last year.
According to Transrespect Versus Transphobia Worldwide, Brazil has been the site of around 130 reported killings of trans and gender-diverse people between October 2018 and September 2019.
Around 30 trans people were killed in there US during that period. Around 19 of which were this year alone.
However, these numbers understate the problem, activists warn.
Local officials are not required to report killings to central databases in the US, and as authorities, family and loved ones may misgender, it means many trans people’s deaths may go unreported.
More than 3,300 trans people have been murdered in 11 years.
Since records began in 2008, an estimated 3,317 trans and gender-diverse people have been murdered globally.
Of this figure, around 1,225 trans people were shot, 653 stabbed an alarming 334 were beaten. Around six in 10 murdered were sex workers, the report stated.
Moreover, 85 percent of those murdered in the US were Native American trans women or trans women of colour.
Source: Transrespect Versus Transphobia Worldwide. (PinkNews)
“Stigma and discrimination against trans and gender-diverse people is real and profound around the world, and are part of a structural and ongoing circle of oppression that keeps us deprived of our basic rights,” the report said.
“Trans and gender-diverse people are victims of horrifying hate violence, including extortion, physical and sexual assaults, and murder.
“In most countries, data on murdered trans and gender-diverse people are not systematically produced and it is impossible to estimate the actual number of cases.”
What is Transgender Day of Remembrance?
Held on November 20, the day is dedicated to paying respect for trans murder victims across the world.
Transgender Day of Remembrance was first held on November 20, 1998, following the murder of Rita Hester, a trans African-American woman in Massachusetts.
Trans activist Gwendolyn Smith then arranged for the first formal Transgender Day of Remembrance the following year.
(Manjunath Kiran/AFP via Getty Images)
Organised by volunteers from the trans community, it has since grown into an international commemoration.
Vigils are held across the world to mark the day, at events where the full list of victims is read.
