No jokes today—it’s International Transgender Day Of Remembrance, when we recall those who have been lost to violence simply because of their gender identity or gender expression. Our plan had been to profile several victims from this year, but we were shocked by their sheer number (more than 200 in 2011 alone). Also disturbing is how few of these crimes have been solved, how many of the victims were trans women of color, and how much mainstream coverage focused on the victim’s gender and possible links to illicit activities.
Today we recount just some of these tragic losses, but we pray for all the members of the global trans community who have been attacked or murdered.
No jokes today—it’s International Transgender Day Of Remembrance, when we recall those who have been lost to violence simply because of their gender identity or gender expression. Our plan had been to profile several victims from this year, but we were shocked by their sheer number (more than 200 in 2011 alone). Also disturbing is how few of these crimes have been solved, how many of the victims were trans women of color, and how much mainstream coverage focused on the victim’s gender and possible links to illicit activities.
Today we recount just some of these tragic losses, but we pray for all the members of the global trans community who have been attacked or murdered.
Chrissie Bates, 45
Location: Minneapolis, MN
Died: January 11, 2011
Chrissie Bates was 
Tyra Trent, 25
Location: Baltimore, MD
Died: February 19, 2011
Tyra Trent, 25, was a trans sex worker 
Priscila Brandão
Location: Belo Horizonte, Brazil
Trans woman Priscila Brandão was shot seven times in the back of the head, execution-style, in a grisly murder captured on surveillance cameras. Her killing—which is still unsolved—was followed by the murder of another Belo Horizonte trans woman (“travesti” in Brazilian Portuguese), just 20 hours later. Despite its reputation as a gay-friendly destination, Brazil has one of the highest murder rates of LGBT people in the world.
Lashai Mclean, 23
Location: Washington, D.C.
Died: July 20, 2011
At 4:30 am on a Wednesday morning, 
Camila Guzman, 38
Location: New York, NY
Died: August 1, 2011
Camila Guzman, who came from Chile to New York in 2002, was
Ramazan Çetin, 24
Location: Gaziantep, Turkey
Died: October 6, 2011
After a bad fall Çetin was at a local hospital seeking treatment, when her brother, Fevzi, barged in and 
Shelley Hilliard, 19
Location: Detroit, Michigan
Died: October 23, 2011 
TASTEY GOODIES
IT TAKES BALLS TO BE ONE’S SELF HERE IN THE U.S.- OR ANYWHERE ELSE. WE NEED LEGISTATION THAT WILL PROTECT THE TRANS COMMUNITY AND WILL BE ENFORCED FOR THE OBVIOUS HATE CRIMES THAT ALL THESE AUTROCITIES ARE. TO THE GLBT FOLK THAT ACCEPTS TRANS PEOPLE OUR THOUGHTS AND PRAYERS ARE W/ YOU.
Gregor
caps lock cruise control for awesome
ewe
Tragic. Outrage. This is deplorable. Good people being taken out and too many times unjustly demonized.
CBRad
Of course these murders are awful, but…… 6 of the 10 were involved in prostitution, and the one in NYC wouldn’t get rid of the abusive criminal boyfriend half her age? I bet the statistics for women, period, getting murdered in the same circumstances is just as high.
JKB
@CBRad: You’re right…because most were prostitutes
and because women suffer the same statistics, we should ignore these senseless
deaths. (eye roll)
CBRad
@JKB: No, but if this list is supposed to make the point that being transgender is dangerous, it doesn’t work as much as showing that certain lines of work are what is inherently dangerous. A list of transgenders living more “legal” “respectable” lives (note I use quotation marks) yet getting murdered just for being transgender would convince me more.
rhenaiya
while i agree that these women lived dangerous lifestyles beyond being trans, it is by the virtue of their trans status that they are discriminated against by society in the first place, often leaving them with no choice but to survive by whatever means necessary. Racism, sexism, a lack of health care and social services all played a part in these womens deaths as well as transphobia in general.
This loss of life is heart breaking and I thank Queerty for honoring them, on behalf of the trans community and for those who knew and loved them. To those who live in the shadow of this violence, stay strong. Stay safe xoxoxo
Cam
Ok….
1. Yes, many worked as hookers and their rate of death should be compared to other hookers rates of violence and not to the general public.
HOWEVER….
2. Is the fact that so many work as prostitutes due to the fact that it is difficult for them to get other employment? How many transgendered folks can walk into a job interview and get the job without the unspoken “We’re not sure you fit with our atmosphere” attitude?
So yes, many work in a violent dangerous business, but when so many are kicked out of their houses before graduation, and with the difficulty in getting work when you are obviously transgender or without a diploma, often times that is the only way to earn many can figure out I would imagine.
CBRad
@rhenaiya: Some of what you say is true, no doubt. People are often driven into prostitution for many different circumstantial reasons.
justnow
Thought there would be alot more comments.
WillBFair
The times they are a changin’, and let’s hope they change a lot faster. In Seattle we have a trans support organization. That’s a start, but we also need to do much better pr.
If the trans abuse of gay people would stop, maybe we could all give more attention to pro trans arguments in the public square.
Lincoln Madison
There is a particularly unfortunate typo at the end of this item. It should say, “Hopefully that’s NOT how the legal system will see it.”
Lincoln Madison
@Lincoln Madison: (#9, Ramazan Çetin in Turkey)
laughriotgirl
@WillBFair: what trans abuse of gay people? Honestly curious what you see as abuse.
Dorothea from Germany
@CBRad: “certain lines of work are what is inherently dangerous”
I totally disagree. Prostitution is not inherently dangerous. It’s the illegality that makes prostitution a dangerous profession. Please read my blog entry about this topic:
http://fountouki.wordpress.com/2011/10/27/why-the-usa-should-legalise-and-regulate-prostitution/
In the USA, trans people are punished twice:
1) The lack of legal protection from discrimination makes it incredibly difficult for trans people to get an “ordinary” job that is legal in the USA. Also, their health insurance doesn’t cover sex reassignment therapy. Trans people have to bear the costs themselves and therefore need to make a whole lot of money within a short time. These two things lead trans women into prostitution.
2) And when they work as prostitutes, they don’t have any legal protection either, because prostitution is illegal in the USA and prostitutes are considered criminal scum that is deemed unworthy of workers’ rights.
“Land of the free”, my ass. The only freedom people have in the USA is the freedom to discriminate against minority groups.
Mike
Page 5: “After the body of trans woman Marcal Camero Tye was discovered on the Arizona highway having been shot and dragged behind a car 300 feet, the St. Francis County Sheriff’s department insisted her death wasn’t a hate crime.”
St. Francis County is in Arkansas. Arkansas is abbreviated “AR.” Arizona is abbreviated “AZ.”
CBRad
@Dorothea from Germany: I think prostitution should be legal too.
Malwyn
http://hartian.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/usa-eagle-1024.jpg
Henry
“No jokes today—it’s International Transgender Day Of Remembrance, when we recall those who have been lost to violence simply because of their gender identity or gender expression.”
Which is it? It’s like Queerty is as confused as the trannies.
Turkmenistan
Isn’t it a little strange to use a picture of a flag in place of a head shot or something? The whole country isn’t dead…
slanty
trans woman (“travesti” in Brazilian Portuguese)
…..el-oh-el
Marti
When are you going to have a day of remembrance for all the teenage boys who commit suicide after being harassed to death by their peers for being “different” (=gay)?
When are you going to have a day of remembrance for all the “men” (18 and over) who have been incarcerated or have committed suicide for touching a “boy” under the age of 18?
Just asking…
JM
It doesn’t really matter what the occupation of the trans-person in question was; if it can be shown that it was transphobia motivating the murder, I’m game for an eye-for-eye spectacle. Still won’t bring back those who had the courage to just be themselves, though.
Let’s not make this about who was doing what, or whom, or how “they got themselves killed” (if you believe that crap). Human beings are dead, and that alone is enough to warrant a moment of silence.
Kate LBT
@Marti: When are you going to create one? TDoR started because trans people chose to create it.
N.H.
@JM: Let’s be realistic, JM. They knew what was coming to them when they went through the surgery. If they thought their lives would be rainbows and kittens after becoming women, they deserve what they got because no one in their right mind would think like that.
Oh, and props to Queerty for putting the subscribe checkbox below the submit button. That was a good change.
Mario
You know what’s sad? I never even knew a fellow chilean died that way. My country likes to report in the news that the big boned bloke from Lost was born here but not that a chilean trans woman was murdered in the US.
JM
@N.H.: I think you are missing the point. They are still human beings, and they were murdered for being trans. Being trans is not something that warrants getting killed. Do you think otherwise?
CBRad
@JM: How do you know they were all murdered solely for being trans? Maybe the killers thought they were female prostitutes.
JM
@CBRad: There is a strong chance they were murdered because they were trans, since trans people are often seen as freaks, with no rights. People tend to escalate violence in a dispute more quickly and intensely when the other party is perceived as somehow ‘less human’.
The same reasoning applies to prostitutes. Trans-women have it twice as bad, since they are often forced into prostitution because they have trouble finding work elsewhere. But they weren’t all prostitutes, were they? And besides, how is it more OK if it was a non-trans prostitute that was killed?
To deny violence against either of these groups, or to hand-wave it away because “they had it coming”, is to show how less-human you really believe them to be.