Transphobia is the Theory, Murder is the Practice
The Transgender Day of Remembrance is November 20th, but I think that one day is really insufficient to contain all the lives lost because of transphobia and transmisogyny. Trans people - usually women, usually of color - are frequently murder victims. Elizabeth McClung’s math in comment 4 indicates that trans women in North America are 14 times more likely to be the victim of a violent crime. While this isn’t a formal study, that the disparity in numbers is that high is hard to avoid.
The Transgender Day of Remembrance website has a page devoted to trans people who were either murdered or otherwise died because they were trans.
Nakia Ladelle Baker
Location: Nashville, Tennessee
Cause of Death: Blunt force trauma to the head
Date of Death: January 7, 2007
Keittirat Longnawa
Location: Rassada, Thailand
Cause of Death: Beaten by 9 Youths who then slit her throat
Date of Death: January 31, 2007
Moira Donaire
Location: Viña del Mar, Chile
Cause of Death: Stabbed 5 times by a street vendor
Date of Death: March 5, 2007
Michelle Carrasco “Chela”
Location: Santiago, Chile
Cause of Death: She was found in a pit with her face completely disfigured.
Date of Death: March 16, 2007
Erica Keel
Location: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Cause of Death: A car repeatedly struck her
Date of Death: March 23, 2007
Unidentified Male Clad in Female Attire - I can’t find any news stories for this one, unfortunately.
Location: Kingston, Jamaica
Cause of Death: Gunshot wounds to the chest and lower back
Date of Death: July 7, 2007
Thalia Mosqueda
Location: Daytona Beach, Florida
Cause of Death: Shot to death
Date of Death: July 29, 2007
Maribelle Reyes - I can’t find a news story.
Location: Houston, Texas
Cause of Death: AIDS; Reyes was turned away from several treatment centers due to her transgender status.
Date of Death: August 30, 2007
I’ve spent a lot of time on the words used against trans people, but not the consequences. It’s considered acceptable to discuss trans lives as if they’re disposable, and that means that our lives are treated as if they’re disposable. Transphobia is the theory, murder is the practice.
