Three hundred twenty trans and gender-diverse people were reported murdered this year, says a new report.
The Trans Murder Monitoring report tracks murders reported in the media each year, this year’s report includes deaths between Oct 1 2022 and September 30 2023.
The vast majority of those killed (94%) were trans women or trans-feminine people.
Most were Black, and many were sex workers too. 80% of the reported murders were of trans people affected by racism, an increase of 15% from last year.
Many of the victims were young. The age group with the most murder victims was 19 to 25 years old. Overall, those between 19 and 40 years old made up three-quarters (77%) of those reported killed.
Almost three-quarters (73%) of registered murders happened in Latin America and the Caribbean, with the epicentre of the problem being in Brazil, where nearly one-third (31%) occurred.
There were also murders in Armenia, Belgium, and Slovakia reported for the first time.
In the U.K., the high-profile murder of young 16-year-old teenager Brianna Ghey is included. She would have turned 17 last week.
This year, the number of deaths is down from 2021’s peak of 375 murders.
However, the report’s authors say their analysis of the data continues to indicate concerning trends prevalent in previous years too. This is particularly acute when trans people live and are attacked because of the intersections of misogyny, racism, xenophobia, and whorephobia.
Reading the data and name list, the violence against the victims is stark. Though almost half (46%) of victims were shot, many were beaten, stabbed and burned after.
The annual report released to mark the International Trans Day of Remembrance held annually on November 20, is compiled by Transrespect versus Transphobia Worldwide. Its release today marks the beginning of Trans Awareness Week.
The report tracks how many trans people get murdered each year
The Trans Murder Monitoring report has been released every year since 2008. Since the project began 15 years ago, they have recorded more than 4600 deaths.
The report monitors homicides that happen every year between the dates of between October 1 and September 30.
However, it is only able to track those reported in the media, meaning the figures likely represent only a tiny glimpse into the reality on the ground.
Many hate crimes and murders go unreported or, crucially, misreported in the media – meaning the actual number of deaths could be far higher.
The list is compiled by Transrespect versus Transphobia Worldwide (TvT), a TGEU project, by sourcing local and national news stories covering the deaths and murders.
The violence, horror and murders are catalogued by TvT, which has a complete list of all those killed this year.
Transgender Day of Remembrance 2023: The report is released annually to mark the event
Trans Day Of Remembrance (TDoR) is a day that remembers those trans and gender-diverse people who have been victims of homicide.
It was started in 1999 by transgender advocate Gwendolyn Ann Smith as a vigil to honor the memory of Rita Hester, a transgender woman who was killed in 1998.
The vigil commemorated all the transgender people lost to violence since Rita Hester’s death and began the annual tradition.
Though the event began in the US, TDoR now happens in many parts of the world.
The International Transgender Day Of Remembrance is held on November 20, 2023.
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