lgbt-history-archive: Transgender Day of Remembrance 2016: The Names of Those We’ve Lost This

lgbt-history-archive:

Transgender Day of Remembrance 2016: The Names of Those We’ve Lost This Year. [TW] 2016 has been the deadliest year on record for transgender people in the United States. As of today, the murders of 26 trans people–most of whom were women of color–have been reported, and that number does not include those whose deaths were not reported due to misgendering by police, media outlets, or the victim’s family. We say their names to remember them, to honor their truth, and to mourn. Their names also serve as a reminder of the consequences of hatred from enemies and silence from “friends.” As we move into increasingly uncertain times, the lesbian, gay, and bisexual communities must do better by the trans and gender-nonconforming communities. If 26 cisgender gay men were killed in a year, it is safe to assume the outcry would be spectacular; if cisgender lesbian women were barred by law–as a “safety precaution”–from using the same restroom as other women, we reasonably would riot. And, if history is any guide, our trans siblings would be on the front lines of those fights. We have to be louder about the assaults—physical, legal, emotional, and otherwise—on the trans and gender-nonconforming communities. We have to be angrier. We have to be more effective. None of us is free until all of us are free. Say their names. Monica Loere. Jasmine Sierra. Kayden Clarke. Veronica Banks Cano. Maya Young. Demarkis Stansberry. Kedarie/Kandicee Johnson. Quartney Davia Dawsonn-Yochum. Shante Isaac. Keyonna Blakeney. Tyreece Walker. Mercedes Successful. Amos Beede. Goddess Diamond. Deeniquia Dodds. Dee Whigam. Skye Mockabee. Erykah Tijerina. Rae’Lynn Thomas. Lexxi Sironen. T.T. Saffore. Crystal Edmonds. Jazz Alford. Brandi Bledsoe. Simon (Sierra) Bush. Noony Norwood. #HavePrideInHistory #SayTheirNames #RememberTheT #NotOneMore