12+ trans people have been murdered in the US/PR in 2020

Boker tov, boker or (good morning, morning light) -- and mourning light.  Today is Friday June 12th of 2020 (20th Sivan 5780) -- the twelfth day of LGBTQ+ Pride Month.  And at least twelve of my trans sisters, brothers and other siblings have been murdered this year here in the mainland US and Puerto Rico, joining dozens in the rest of our world.

And there have been non-fatal attacks, including on Iyanna Dior in Saint Paul, Minnesota on June 1st. Most of the US victims are Black, most of the Puerto Rican and worldwide ones are Latina/x; most everywhere are women and young.  And none of this is new -- though overall reporting has been improving, the reality has also been getting worse, since 2016 and long before.

Yesterday I began to see initial reports of at least two more murders, of Black trans women.  But for now, this is the list:

Dustin Parker, 25, McAlester, Oklahoma, January 1st (New Year’s Day).
Neulisa Luciano Ruiz, Toa Baja, Puerto Rico, February 24th.
Yampi Méndez Arocho, 19, Moca, Puerto Rico, March 5th.
Monika Diamond, 34, Charlotte, North Carolina, March 18th.
Lexi, 33, Harlem, New York, March 28th.
Johanna Metzger, Baltimore, Maryland (an hour from us here in Gaithersburg), April 11th.
Serena Angelique Velázquez Ramos, 32, and Layla Pelaez Sánchez, 21, Puerto Rico, April 21st; Serena and Layla were together at the time.
Penélope Díaz Ramírez, Puerto Rico, April 13th.
Nina Pop, Sikeston, Missouri, May 3rd.
Helle Jae O’Regan, 20, San Antonio, Texas, May 6th.
Tony McDade, Tallhassee, Florida, May 27th*.

Too, very little attention is given to the many murders of, assaults on and disappearances of Native / Indigenous people -- especially girls, women, and/or Two Spirit people.

We also lose many trans siblings to suicide -- the attempt rate in our community is over 40%.  And there are unreported trans deaths, and reported deaths where the victim is not identified as trans. Trans people are not included in even basic civil rights laws in most states, and several states have anti-trans laws or are attempting to pass them -- and the Trump administration continues to undo trans rights progress on a national level.

Trans people are also more likely to die of CoViD-19 -- how much more so when they are in other oppressed groups.

And while I say little here or elsewhere about the death details -- primarily to avoid further traumatizing my trans followers, especially those living at similar intersections as the victims -- it is vital to say that the great majority are shootings, and that this is yet another reason we desperately need gun control, and it is an LGBTQ+ and racial justice issue.  *Too, Tony McDade, a Black trans man, was killed by the police, and he is far from the first trans person -- especially Black/of color -- to die that way.

May all of my trans siblings’ memories be blessings -- and call us to act!  May we act to make Black trans and queer lives matter more!  May we schlep ever closer to tikkun olam, world repair, at the intersection of LGBTQ+, climate, racial, immigration, spiritual, fat, disability, and all other rays of the rainbow of justice!  Amen!

(The attached image is a collage I made with Adobe Spark yesterday -- photos of everyone except Lexi and Penélope.)

#BlackLivesMatter #BlackTransLivesMatter #LatinxLivesMatter #LatinxTransLivesMatter #NativeLivesMatter #TwoSpiritLivesMatter #TransLivesMatter #TDOR #TDOR2020 #TransDayOfRemembrance