ANTI-TRANSGENDER VIOLENCE
By now we are all well aware of the transformation of Bruce Jenner into Caitlyn Jenner. If you’re like me your Facebook timeline, Instagram page, and Twitter feed has been inundated with her Vanity Fair layout as well as various captions (both negative and positive) directed towards not only her process of transformation but also the trans-gender community as a whole. We’ve also seen in the news the recent confirmation of Pennsylvania’s news physician general, Dr. Rachel Levine, the highest ranking openly transgender person in that states history. 2015 was a great year for the transgender community, with many mentions and accomplishments by various people.
That is not to say that this is the norm. That is what this article discusses. Just because celebrities and those of high positions are having great success, let us not forget the 9 transgender people who have been murder so far this year alone. Most recently was 17 year old Mercedes Williamson who was found murdered an hour and a half away from her home in Mississippi. In reality, in a report released by the National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs , “ hate motivated violence against trans-gender individuals rose by 13 percent in 2014” but dropped 32 percent against gays, lesbians, and bisexuals. 20 LGBT individuals total killed in 2014 simply because of hate. Another issue is that of the 13 transgender people killed in 2014 all but one of them was a person of color.
With all the attention that has been giving to recent celebrities including Orange Is The New Black star Laverne Cox, and the seemingly(mostly) receptive audience that this attention has garnered in Hollywood and social media, why are we still seeing an increase in violence against trans-gender and what can be done to prevent it? One thing that has to change is legislation that supports those who commit these heinous crimes rather than efficiently punishing them. In Mississippi for example, hate crime laws do not cover gender identity. This leave members of the transgender community exposed and at risk. Tackling discrimination against trans-people would aid them to do simple things like open a banking account or get a proper ID so that they can get jobs.
With any hope, breakout stars like Caitlyn Jenner and Lavern Cox will bring attention to Trans-issues and help to spearhead serious change in legislation as well as public perception of transgender people as normal people who just want to live their lives in peace and harmony just like everyone else!