Questioning Transphobia

My gender is rage

Every third day the murder of a trans person is reported

with 17 comments

Liminalis-Map-JanJune2009

TGEU & Liminalis Press Release:

Every 3rd day the murder of a trans person is reported:

Trans Murder Monitoring Project reveals more than 200 reported murders of trans persons in the last 1 1/2 years

In April 2009 the international NGO Transgender Europe (TGEU) in cooperation with the multilingual Online-Magazine “Liminalis — A Journal for Sex/Gender Emancipation and Resistance” started a new project, the /Trans Murder Monitoring Project/, which focuses on systematically reporting murdered trans people on a worldwide scale.

The very preliminary results of the first step of this project have revealed a total of 204 cases of reported murders of trans people world wide in the last 1 1/2 years. 121 cases of murdered trans people have been reported in 2008. From January to June 2009 already 83 cases of murdered trans people have been reported.

Furthermore, the preliminary results show an increase in the number of reports of murdered trans people over the last years. Since the beginning of 2008 the murder of a trans person is reported every third day, on average.

The cases have been reported from all six World regions: North America, Latin America, Europe, Africa, Asia, and Oceania. The majority of cases have been reported from Latin America and North America. On these continents the majority of cases have been reported from Brazil (59) and the U.S.A. (16) for 2008 and from Brazil (23), Venezuela (20), and Guatemala (10) for the first six months of 2009. Moreover, the preliminary results show a total of 11 murdered trans people reported for Colombia followed by 5 for Honduras and 4 for Mexico and Venezuela for 2008, and 6 for Mexico and 3 for Argentina, and the Dominican Republic for the first six months of 2009.

In total 91 murders of trans people were reported in 11 Latin American countries in 2008, and 73 murders of trans people in 11 Latin American countries in the first six months of 2009. The reported murders of trans people in Latin America account for 75% and 88% of the world wide reported murders of trans people in 2008 and the first six months of 2009 respectively.**

The preliminary results also reveal that murders of trans people have been reported in 5 European countries in 2008 (Germany, Italy, Portugal, Spain, and Turkey) and in 4 European countries (Russia, Serbia, Spain, Turkey) in the first six months of 2009. In Asia murders of trans people were reported for Iraq, Malaysia, and Singapore in 2008, and for India in the first six months of 2009. In Oceania murders of trans people were reported for Australia in 2008, and for New Zealand in the first six months of 2009. In total the preliminary results show reports of murdered trans people in 22 countries in 2008, and in 17 countries in the first six months of 2009.

The preliminary results furthermore reveal some terrifying details on the nature of these crimes. The data shows that in 2008 six of the victims were minors and in the first six months of 2009 three minors were among the victims. One of these minors, 15 year-old Leticia King from Oxnard (USA), was shot twice in the head by a classmate in front of the whole class. Apart from these brutal murders, 5 of the reported murdered trans persons in 2008 were found tortured or dismembered, 2 were shot by retired policemen, and 3 were executed in police stations. 5 of the reported murdered trans persons were found tortured or dismembered in the first six months of 2009.

The preliminary results of TGEU’s and Liminalis’ Trans Murder Monitoring project are presented in form of a report, tables, name lists, and maps in the new issue of Liminalis (www.liminalis.de/project.html) in English, Spanish, and German.

Here are the direct links to the PDFs of the report and its component parts:

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(Curtsey to Vreer for the heads-up)

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Cross-posted at Bird of Paradox

Written by Helen G

July 21, 2009 at 7:06 am

Posted in transphobic violence

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17 Responses

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  1. [...] Cross-posted at Questioning Transphobia [...]

    Every third day the murder of a trans person is reported « bird of paradox

    July 21, 2009 at 7:08 am

  2. And I believe there are many other murders which are trans-related and not reported. In Brazil alone, there are many travesti-sexworkers who disappear and whose bodies are never found (much like many of the street kids in Rio). There are murdered street people where I live (San Francisco) who are trans yet not identified as such. And a few years ago, my daughter and I ate at a restaurant in a rural area in Coastal California. There was a photo by the cash register, and my then 10-year old daughter looked at it and said, “isn’t she trans?”. There was a blurry photo of a 16-year old ‘boy’ who was the child of local farmworkers. It was obvious from the photo this was a transgirl, but the sign (asking for funeral donations) identified her as a boy. She was found dead in a field. I’ve never found any reference to her in the Trans Day of Remembrance. Thank you for posting this much-needed link, I’m cross-linking to it on the Justice for Teish Green Facebook site.

    gina morvay

    July 21, 2009 at 7:24 am

  3. gina morvay: Yes, the report itself (direct link to the PDF here) makes it clear that it is not definitive and sets out its frames of reference quite openly.

    However it is arguably the most comprehensive and up-to-date information that we have at this time and will, I believe, repay thorough reading. As you rightly say, it’s a much-needed resource, even if it is perhaps only the tip of the iceberg.

    Helen G

    July 21, 2009 at 7:29 am

  4. [...] of the Trans Murder Monitoring Project about violence against trans people worldwide. Sadly the results show that since the beginning of 2008 the murder of a trans person is reported every third day (and [...]

    Violence Against Transgendered Persons | TakePart Social Action Network™

    July 21, 2009 at 11:15 am

  5. [...] posted at: Questioning Transphobia and Bird of [...]

    Gendersaurus Rex » Every Third Day, the Murder of a Trans Person is Reported

    July 21, 2009 at 1:25 pm

  6. For whatever reason, none of the links are working.

    Marja

    July 21, 2009 at 7:35 pm

  7. [...] 3rd day the murder of a trans person is reported” 21 07 2009 Via Questioning Transphobia, TransGender Europe (TGEU) is collaborating with an online multilingual magazine Liminalis on the [...]

    “Every 3rd day the murder of a trans person is reported” « The Gender Blender Blog

    July 21, 2009 at 8:42 pm

  8. Marja: My apologies – I’ve re-linked the files locally, and they seem to be working okay now.

    Would you mind trying the links again and let me know if you’re still having difficulties downloading?

    Thanks
    Helen

    Helen G

    July 22, 2009 at 12:01 am

  9. Thank you for sharing this project. Reliable statistics for all areas of the world are hard to find (and sobering), but the process is crucial.

    Samia

    July 22, 2009 at 10:55 am

  10. Yes, that worked. Thank you.

    Marja

    July 22, 2009 at 11:00 am

  11. [...] This is so incredibly scary. I really can’t think of anything better to say about it. Just that I [...]

    Murderer(ererererererererer) « Observationary

    July 22, 2009 at 12:56 pm

  12. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that Brazil is #1 on the list for a couple reasons.

    Rio and Sao Paulo have a very active and visible trans community. The second is, well Brazil is HUGE in the trans porn industry. It’s likely a combination of vocal/visible trans women who are highly marginalized.

    rioTgirl

    July 23, 2009 at 12:27 pm

  13. [...] down, that means that every three days, a trans person is killed somewhere around the globe.  And according to UN Dispatch, there’s not one region of the world that’s immune from transgender violence.  Perhaps [...]

    Every Three Days, a Transgender Person is Murdered in the World » Equal Roots

    July 23, 2009 at 2:00 pm

  14. [...] this is just what’s being reported, according to new research just released on violence against trans people worldwide. Transgender Europe (TGEU) is working with the multilingual [...]

    Every third day, a trans person is murdered « clubantietam.com

    July 25, 2009 at 5:51 pm

  15. Despicable; forwarding to others.

    Bob Reilly

    July 30, 2009 at 10:05 am

  16. [...] The Trans Murder Monitoring Project, which focuses on systematically reporting murdered trans people on a worldwide, has released preliminary results which indicate that a total of 204 cases of murders of trans people have been reported worldwide in the last 1 1/2 yeas. This means that every 3rd day the murder of a trans person is reported somewhere in the world. [...]

    Week In Review – July 24, 2009 « CFUW Stratford News

    August 1, 2009 at 2:11 pm

  17. Blind hatred is a cancer that must be eradicated.

    Alexandra Oswald

    November 9, 2009 at 8:51 am


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