As 2015 Sees A Record Number Of Documented Transgender Murders, A Glimmer Of Hope
Friday marks the Transgender Day of Remembrance, an annual memorial first started in 1999 by Gwendolyn Ann Smith. This year, a record number of transgender murders were documented, a depressing reminder of how rampant anti-trans violence is. However, the fact that such cases are being accurately reported and documented with greater frequency may also provide a glimmer of hope that change could be possible.
*Broadus, who has defended many transgender people as an attorney, spoke of how “they treat trans people as a ‘thing’ or a ‘sideshow’ in the jail and don’t let them make their one call out.” Just this week, a federal judge in New York approved a transgender man’s suit to proceed against the New York City Police Department. When Justin Adkins was arrested for participating in an Occupy Wall Street protest in 2011, he was singled out for being transgender, handcuffed to a handrail for eight hours, and denied food.
Police aren’t the only problem, Broadus explained. “There’s systemic and structural oppression beyond just the police. We have to deal with the court system and educating the courts and the Bar, making sure attorneys are treating people right.”
*This week, House lawmakers launched the first-ever Transgender Equality Task Force and held a forum to create more visibility for anti-trans violence.
*“This is a wake-up call and a call to action for every single American to do their part. If you don’t know anything about trans people, learn something,” Broadus implored. “Then, go and find a trans person and get to know them and become their friend. The rest will grow from there.”
“We [trans people] change hearts and minds when people get to know us and more people know us than they realize. They work with us every single day, we’re members of their families, we’re next door neighbors. It’s time to treat trans people with respect and dignity.”
http://thinkprogress.org/lgbt/2015/11/20/3724165/trans-day-of-remembrance-police-reporting/
