Thursday, May 01, 2014

No April African-American Trans Murders!

"So will we see a threepeat of that pattern in 2014?   I hope and pray we don't, but with the increased attention transpeople and trans issues are getting in the media, it has also fueled backlash.  Some of that backlash will be manifested in people who are mean spirited, hateful and angry enough to take their transphobia to murderous levels." 
-TransGriot, April 3, 2014, 'Will April Be A Deadly Month For African-American Transwomen This Year?'


For the last two years, April has tended to be the deadliest month for anti-trans murders aimed at African-American transwomen. 

2014 so far has been a quiet year on that trans murder front here in the States, but when the calendar page flipped to April my anxiety level went up known the pattern of the last two years.  Now that we have turned the calendar page to May, I can exhale and report an amazing occurrence.

This year was the first in two years we didn't have trans African-Americans murdered in the month of April.  So keep up the good work my transsisters.  As a birthday present to me, please continue to be vigilant and most importantly be safe so I don't have to type out stories of a transwoman being killed somewhere in this country for the month of May. 

I'll have to sort through the Remembering our Dead statistics to see how far back the trend of African-American transowmen being murdered in April goes, but it's wonderful news to note that for the first time in a while, we won't have some family planning an all to soon funeral for a loved one they lost during the month of April.  

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