John–
This wasn't the email we planned on sending today. As our movement is recognizing Trans Day of Remembrance to honor those murdered as a result of transphobia, we're mourning yet another mass shooting where the LGBTQ+ community was targeted. At least five people were shot and killed, and many more were injured.
Details are still emerging from this tragedy in Colorado Springs, but this violence—like it has done in so many other cases—shattered a space filled with joy and love. LGBTQ+ nightclubs are meant to be safe spaces for members of my community, not sites of hate-fueled gun violence.
Everyone should be able to celebrate their true selves without fear of being shot. Yet right now, too many of us have been forced to live with that haunting terror because of the hatred and easy access to guns that continue to plague our country and be promoted by extremist leaders and lawmakers alike.
I wish this was an isolated incident. But it is not. As I have seen throughout my time in this movement, people just like me are being shot and killed across the country, all for the crime of daring to be themselves.
This crisis has not stopped, and last night's mass shooting was just the latest example. On this Trans Day of Remembrance, and as we mourn even more members of my community taken by gun violence, please take the time to learn more about how this crisis has impacted the LGBTQ+ community—and how we're working to disarm hate.
When I joined the movement to end gun violence, I had only been out as transgender for a few weeks. I was still breaking the news to loved ones, getting used to my new name, and exploring the new life I had created.
My first month doing this work was also my first Pride—the first time I experienced community like the one that existed within Club Q at Colorado Springs. I felt so supported, so seen, so surrounded by people just like me, that I sobbed, overwhelmed by the love that existed in that space.
When the gunman opened fire in Colorado Springs last night, he robbed people of their lives, injured many more, and destroyed that sense of safety and joy for countless others.
Today, I'm grieving even more because it is also Trans Day of Remembrance, when we mourn murdered trans and gender nonconforming people.
So far, at least 32 transgender or gender nonconforming people have been killed this year in the United States and Puerto Rico. The majority of them were killed with a gun, and more than half of them were Black trans women. This continued violence comes after 2021 was the deadliest year for trans and gender nonconforming people on record.
And while these tragedies are happening, lawmakers are dismantling gun safety laws and pushing forward anti-trans legislation that normalizes and enables hatred, creating an environment where extremists can easily gain access to firearms. Through their actions and their rhetoric, these lawmakers are putting the lives of trans people and their loved ones at risk.
The good news is that we know how to help stop this crisis—and our movement has the tools to get it done.
We can get Congress to pass the Disarm Hate Act to close a dangerous loophole in federal law that allows people convicted of violent hate crimes to access guns. We can push for a federal Extreme Risk law like the bill the House of Representatives passed earlier this year. We can tell the U.S. Senate to pass the Domestic Terrorism Prevention Act to better respond to the threat of violent extremist groups that target marginalized communities. And we can get our leaders on all levels of government to protect our safety and privacy.
We have a lot of work to do. But if my three years in this movement have taught me anything, it's that we are more than up for the task. Because of you, I have been able to keep my hope that a future free from gun violence is possible for all of us.
Thank you for being a part of this movement, and for joining me in remembering the trans people killed this year. Together, we'll honor their lives with action:
Amariey Lei aka Myara. Duval Princess. Matthew Angelo Spampinato. Naomie Skinner. Cypress Ramos. Paloma Vazquez. Tatiana Labelle. Kathryn "Katie" Newhouse. Kenyatta Webster. Miia Love Parker. Ariyanna Mitchell. Fern Feather. Ray Muscat. Sasha Mason. Nedra Sequence Morris. Maddie Hoffman. Chanelika Y'Ella Dior Hemingway. Brazil Johnson. Shawmaynè Giselle Marie. Kitty Monroe. Cherry Bush. Aaron Lynch. Martasia Richmond. Keshia Chanel Geter. Kandii Redd. Hayden Davis. Marisela Castro. Acey Morrison. Dede Ricks. Regina "Mya" Allen. Semaj Billingslea. Tiffany Banks.
Sincerely,
Sophie "Soren" Kozub
She/They
National Digital Campaigns Specialist
Everytown for Gun Safety
