The U.S. Department of State commemorated transgenders who have died from violent acts against them, in a Monday press release.
“On Transgender Day of Remembrance, the United States honors the memory of the many transgender individuals who have lost their lives to acts of violence,” the statement reads. “Transgender individuals and their advocates, along with lesbian, gay, bisexual and intersex persons, are facing increasing physical attacks and arbitrary arrests in many parts of the world. Often these attacks are perpetrated by government officials, undermining the rule of law.”
The statement adds that transgenders shouldn’t be subject to discrimination or violence, and that all people must respect the rights of transgenders who have the same human rights as those who identify as any other gendered orientation.
“On this Transgender Day of Remembrance, the United States remains committed to advancing the human rights and fundamental freedoms of all persons. These principles are inherent in our own Constitution and drive the diplomacy of the United States,” the statement reads.
The State Department’s statements come after the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) and other media outlets, including the New York Times, ABC News and Newsweek, reported that violence against transgenders is at an all-time high.
Twenty-three transgenders died in 2016 in the U.S. from violence, and that number has risen to 25 in 2017, according to a 2017 HRC report. The victims were killed by partners, acquaintances or strangers, the report found.
“While the details of these cases differ, it is clear that fatal violence disproportionately affects transgender women of color, and that the intersections of racism, sexism, homophobia and transphobia conspire to deprive them of employment, housing, healthcare and other necessities, barriers that make them vulnerable,” the HRC report reads.
Transgenders have also committed violence acts against non-trans people. A male transgender activist assaulted 60-year-old Maria MacLachlan while she was videotaping a protest at Speakers Corner in Hyde Park. Trans activists are opposed to “trans-exclusionary radical feminists,” or “TERFS,” which they use to describe women who adhere to the biological definitions of sex and gender. (RELATED: Transgender Activist Assaults 60-Year-Old Woman At Gender Debate).
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