TDOR At 20

Today is the official date of the Transgender Day of Remembrance.  It's been 20 years since Gwen Smith created the TDOR to remember the people that we have lost due to anti-trans violence.

And it's also been 20 years since Rita Hester was murdered, and her killer not being brought to justice.

We have another 22 people who were murdered in 2018, and as per usual in the States, they are disproportionately African American trans people.   Internationally Brazil depressingly leads the pack in being the most dangerous nation to be trans.

Say their names.   Their trans lives mattered.

Christa Lee Steele-Knudslien, 47, North Adams, MA
Vickky Gutierrez, 38, Los Angeles, CA
Zakaria Fry, 28,  Albuquerque, NM
Celine Walker, 38,  Jacksonville, FL
Tonya Harvey, 35, Buffalo, NY

Phylicia Mitchell, 45, Cleveland, OH
Amia Tyrae Berryman, 28, Baton Rouge, LA
Sasha Wall, 29, Chesterfield County, SC  
Carla Patricia Flores-Pavon, 26, Dallas, TX
Nino Fortson, 36, Atlanta, GA
Gigi Pierce, 28,  Portland, OR
Antasha English, 38, Jacksonville, FL
Diamond Stephens, 39, Meridian, MS

Catalina Christina James, 24, Jacksonville, FL
Keisha James, 58, Cleveland, OH
Sasha Garden, 27, Orlando, FL
Vontashia Bell, 18, Shreveport, LA
Dejanay Stanton, 24, Chicago, IL
Shantee Tucker, 30, Philadelphia, PA
Londonn Moore Kinard, 20, North Port, FL
Nikki Janelle Enriquez, 28, Laredo, TX
Ciara Minaj Carter Frazier, 31, Chicago, IL

2018 Trans Murders Stats Breakdown
Female 21-Male/GNC 1)

By Race
White-3   (3 female-0 male)
Latina-3   (3 female-0 male)
Black -16  (15 female-1 male/GNC)
Asian- 0
Native American- 0

By Age
50+  1
40-49  2

30-39  8
20-29  10
10-19- 1

That's 22 people from ages 18-58 that are no longer here with us, simply because they are trans.  When will it stop?   When will we finally be able to as a community to phase out this event? 

And a question that I ask for my Black trans siblings, when will the cis Black community and our legacy organizations care enough to say our Black Trans Lives Matter?

We're still waiting to hear those words from an NAACP president, the Congressional Black Caucus, and Black faith leaders.

And sadly, we're still waiting to hear them.