President Biden honored transgender Individuals on Trans Day of Remembrance, which falls on Nov. 20 annually and serves to pay tribute to trans individuals who have misplaced their lives to violence.
“Right now, on Transgender Day of Remembrance we’re reminded that there’s extra to do [to] meet that promise, as we grieve the 26 transgender Individuals whose lives had been taken this 12 months,” Mr. Biden said in a statement Monday.
“Whereas every one in every of these deaths is a tragedy – the true toll of these victimized is probably going even greater, with nearly all of these focused being girls of shade,” Mr. Biden mentioned.
A report launched Monday by the Human Rights Marketing campaign serves to shine a lightweight on what the LGBTQ+ group referred to as an “epidemic of violence” towards the trans and gender non-conforming neighborhood in the U.S. — one which particularly impacts transgender girls and transgender folks of shade, who the report mentioned “are at elevated danger of deadly violence.”
“The danger is compounded for Black transgender girls, who comprise the overwhelming majority of victims of deadly violence towards trans and gender non-conforming folks,” the report acknowledged.
In a separate assertion, Secretary of State Antony Blinken mentioned the U.S. affirms “the humanity and human rights of transgender individuals globally.”
“Trans people are part of each nation, each tradition, and each religion custom,” Blinken mentioned.
Earlier this 12 months, the HRC declared a “state of emergency” for LGBTQ+ Americans for the primary time in its 40-year historical past. The group pointed to report numbers of anti-LGBTQ+ laws being launched throughout the nation, with over 220 particularly focusing on trans folks, together with makes an attempt to restrict entry to sports activities groups, restrooms, locker rooms, gender-affirming care and inclusive college curricula.
Between Oct. 2022 and Sept. 2023, over 300 trans and gender-diverse folks around the globe had been reported murdered, in response to information compiled by nonprofit Transgender Europe.
“It’s everybody’s duty to make sure trans individuals can reside full lives of dignity, with out concern of violence or hurt,” Blinken mentioned, including, “Till then, we’ll proceed to talk loudly and clearly to finish transphobic violence and murder.”
Regardless of hostile laws and heated political division over trans rights points, analysis signifies that younger individuals are increasingly identifying as trans and seeing themselves reflected positively in culture.
“We mustn’t ever be silent in the face of hate,” Mr. Biden mentioned, urging that we “recommit ourselves to by no means cease preventing till all Individuals can reside free from discrimination.”
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