Making space to honor Black trans lives.

Content Warning: We wanted to make space to reflect on gun violence in the transgender community ahead of Transgender Day of Remembrance on Saturday. If you’d rather skip this one, we understand. Take care of yourself.

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Hey John,
Marquiisha Lawrence, a 28-year-old Black transgender woman in South Carolina, was fatally shot on November 4, bringing 2021 over a devastating threshold. With 57 days left, this year became the deadliest year on record for trans and gender non-conforming people [[link removed]] .
But we say “on record” for a reason. Gun violence against people of transgender experience -- especially trans womxn of color and sex workers -- is not new. It’s just being reported now more than before. The fact that we even have these statistics, and know their stories [[link removed]] , means that more people are paying attention. So while we have yours, we want to amplify a few key points.
Please know that our role in this dialogue is not to serve as the experts on trans experience, or on the lived experience of any marginalized group. Our mission is to eradicate gun violence, and in doing so, make this country a little bit safer for the most marginalized members of our community. We hope these key takeaways can help spark thoughtful discussions and meaningful action in your community.

1. Public opinion and legislation have a direct impact on the disproportionate level of anti-trans violence in this country [[link removed]] . In a year where an unprecedented number of anti-trans bills were passed, it’s not enough to lend these victims our thoughts and prayers. We must honor them with action.

2. In the past decade, nearly two-thirds of homicides of transgender and gender-nonconforming people involved a gun [[link removed]] . The overwhelming majority of victims were Black womxn under the age of 30. Bullets don’t discriminate, but hate does. Black and brown trans and gender nonconforming people are still targeted, harmed and killed at alarming rates. And we’re just now starting to see that reflected in the news.

3. The Trevor Project estimates that more than 1.8 million LGBTQ youth seriously consider suicide each year in the U.S. [[link removed]] -- and at least one attempts suicide every 45 seconds. According to the U.S. Transgender Survey, an overwhelming percentage of transgender people having attempted suicide in their lifetime, nearly nine times the national average. The vast majority of these are enabled by guns, and many could be prevented if firearms weren’t more accessible than mental health care.

On Transgender Day of Remembrance, take a moment to honor the lives lost in 2021 to senseless violence, bigotry, and transphobia, not just in the US, but around the world [[link removed]] . Each and every one was a whole person with a rich life and an untold story. We’re actively working to make sure more of these stories are told -- and more of these storytellers are centered in our movement.
In solidarity,
March For Our Lives

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