BLACK TRANS LIVES MATTER
@katiedesigned
The tans community is consistently a target of extreme violence, described as an "epidemic" by the American Medical Association in 2019. On top of that, this epidemic disproportionately affects Black trans people and other trans people of color due to the nature of having multiple marginalized identities.​
According to the 2015 U.S. Transgender Survey (USTS):​
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38% of Black respondents were living in poverty
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42% of Black respondents have experienced homelessness at some point in their lives
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53% of Black respondents have been sexually assaulted at some point in their lifetimes, compared to 47% in the USTS sample overall
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Out of respondents who interacted with police or other law enforcement officers in the past year, 61% experienced some form of mistreatment (including verbal harassment, repeated misgendering, or physical or sexual assault)
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Out of the Black respondents who were held in jail or prison in the past year, 40% were physically assaulted by staff or other inmates (almost double the rate in the USTS sample overall) and 29% were sexually assaulted by staff or other inmates (compared to 20% in the USTS sample overall)
According to the Human Rights Campaign, at least 44 transgender or gender non-conforming people violently killed in 2020, many of whom were Black or women of color.
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These posters and graphics, featuring digitally-illustrated portraits, were created in memory of several trans people who were victims of violent killings. They serve to not only honor the victims but hopefully bring awareness to the unacceptable violence towards trans people.
While it's important to fight for justice for these memberse of trans community, it's also crucial to combat transphobia and advocate for the trans community on a regular basis, not just in response to their tragic deaths. This includes calling out transphobia in conversations, educating yourself on the trans community and its history, examining how transphobia exists through systems of power, supporting LGBTQIA+ organizations, regularly donating to trans folx and organizations, and more.