Victims of fatal anti-transgender violence are being honored across the world today as part of the annual Transgender Day of Remembrance, including "at least 21" transgender women and men who were killed in the United States in 2015. During the first six months of this year alone, more transgender people were killed "than in all of 2014," reports Mother Jones. Bafflingly, none of these hate-fueled attacks have been classified by their true nature: hate crimes.
In fact, there are currently more homicides in 2015 "than any other year on record," according to data compiled by Human Rights Campaign (HRC). "This kind of violence is often motivated by anti-transgender bias," says HRC president Chad Griffin. "But that is rarely the only factor. At a time when transgender people are finally gaining visibility and advocates are forcing our country to confront systemic violence against people of color, transgender women of color are facing an epidemic of violence that occurs at the intersections of racism, sexism, and transphobia—issues that advocates can no longer afford to address separately."
The Transgender Equality Task Force, led by California Democrat Mike Honda, was recently launched in an effort to "understand the causes" of anti-transgender violence by highlighting what the federal government needs to do to improve these harrowing statistics. Sadly, these statistics would likely be even higher if police departments and related officials properly reported the identities of victims. Transgender women, for example, are often reported by police as men.
For more information on this year's Transgender Day of Remembrance, including how to participate in your area, please visit here.
