Rae'Lynn Thomas, Ohio Transgender Woman Killed

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Sadly, murders like Rae’Lynn’s are not new or rare when it comes to transgender women.

According to recent report from New York City’s Anti-Violence Project, of the 24 reported hate violence homicides of LGBTQ people in 2015, 67 percent were transgender or gender nonconforming. And just this year alone, Rae’Lynn marks the 19th documented killing of a trans woman in the U.S., the second in Ohio in the past two weeks, The Advocate wrote. In addition, on July 30, Skye Mockabee was found murdered on a Cleveland sidewalk in Cleveland; on Monday, 36-year-old Erykah Tijerina, was found dead in her El Paso, Texas apartment; Dee Whigham was killed in Biloxi in late July; and Deeniquia Dodds was shot in her D.C. home on July 4.

It’s also important to stress that trans of women of color bear the brunt of this type of violence.

Over 90 percent of transgender people murdered in the United States this year have been people of color with 70 percent have been Black, the HRC notes. Not to mention, being Black and trans in in America can also means facing alarmingly high levels of systematic discrimination, poverty, homelessness, unemployment, suicide, sexual assault, HIV infection and incarceration.

So if it’s clear that Black transgender folks are caught in the crosshairs of the intersection of race, sexism, transphobia, violence and overpolicing, what are we as a community going to do about it If we can stand up for Philando, Sandra and Alton, why can’t we do the same for our trans sisters and brothers?

Our silence equals their death.

RELATED LINKS:

MORNING MINUTE: Atlanta Couple Attacked And Burned With Boiling Water For Being Gay

‘Say Yes To The Dress’ Features Its First Transgender Bride

The White House Makes History By Appointing Its First Transgender Staffer