Some of you may be aware of the recent news surrounding the murder of Trans Woman Yazmin Payne. She was found stabbed to death when Firefighters responded to an apartment fire in the Van Nuys area of Los Angeles. The murder of anyone Trans or otherwise is a tragedy, what makes this worse is it's another number in an increasingly growing statistic. A statistic which has seen three Trans Women of colour killed in the last month alone.
This isn't the first time in recent weeks that I've had to write about a similar tragedy and it feels like we can't go a week without finding a news article about some form of Transphobia. This really isn't the place for me to comment on how or why this happens nor do I know the answers, I'm going to try however.
When any minority begins to gain any sort of awareness negativity is sure to follow, and as a group we have had to suffer a significant amount. This isn't oppression Olympics obviously but the fact that people are being targeted SPECIFICALLY because of their Gender is seriously messed up. 2014 on the whole was a time of great celebration for us as a community. It was still book-ended by tragic events however for the first time it felt like we were winning. 2015 I'm not so sure.
I shouldn't even have to write this. How is being Trans a negative? Why does being Trans warrant abuse and violence? We hurt no one yet there's still a belief we can be tormented.
Trans Men & Women have to face abuse and ridicule on a daily basis. We are just Men in Dresses. Freaks who find some sort of thrill from dressing up as a girl. Less than human and open to beatings, bullying and murder.
This attitude is not only abhorrent but factually untrue. Regardless of the reasons for being who we are it does not give anyone an excuse to act out their violent fantasies upon us.
The world is a dangerous place. It's especially dangerous when you can't help but be the person who you are. We are hurt for who we are. For being Women, for being Men. For being Human.
HRC (Human Rights Campaign) are working alongside the Trans People of Colour Collective with the hope of spreading awareness and support for the community. They released a report outlining some of the areas where we are being failed and are calling for action to be taken. Link here. This will hopefully prove worthwhile and it will ensure that the memories of these Men & Women won't be forgotten.
What can we do as then to raise awareness? Well just be an ally. Raise awareness of the issues facing the Trans community. March alongside us hand in hand. Be brave. Be a friend.
I'm not sure what I really wanted to say by this piece. Unlike most of my other essay type blogs I've not had a few weeks to plan and it could come off as a little rushed. But with any luck someone who isn't aware of recent events will read this and look into what's been going on. Every little helps, even if that help is coming from a slightly irate part time girl.
If you want to look into any of the issues raised in more detail then I suggest starting with the Human Rights Campaign page. Link Here. Let's turn 2015 into a positive one !
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