The LGBTQ community very well may have the most support that it has seen in American history, but one group still faces more discrimination than ever before. Transgender people, women i particular, currently face an extremely harsh reality; they are living in a time of unprecedented violence against their community.
In 2017, 25 Transgender Americans were murdered. This is the highest rate in recent history, and the actual number may be even larger. Many times, murders involving people who identify as transgender have their gender incorrectly reported. Often, it is only through interviews with friends and family that victims are finally found to identify as transgender. In 2018, eight have been murdered so far.
Those facing the biggest risk are transgender women of color. A study by FastCompany.com, an American business magazine, claims that of the 102 murders against Transgender Americans in the last five years, 75 of the victims have been black or African-American. Mic.com released their own study that concluded that young black women face a 1 in 2,600 of being murdered. This number is significantly higher than the national average of 1 in 19,000. This can likely be explained when considering the many stigmas and issues that arise when someone who already faces racism is subject to both homophobia and transphobia all at once.
Add in the fact that the trans community has faced many attacks from political candidates, including the President of the United States himself, and it is not surprising that murders against those who identify as trans are the highest they have been in five years. Bills like the bathroom bill and efforts to eliminate those who identify as transgender in the military do nothing but spread fear and hate towards transgender people.
While there have been many “wins” for the LGBTQ community in recent years like the legalization of gay marriage, the transgender community is living in an unprecedented time of peril. Just ask Malaysia Walker who identifies as transgender; she told Fast Company, “I feel like I’m walking around with a target on my back.”