21+ trans people have been murdered in the US & PR in 2020

Erev tov, good evening. Alas, although there is much good news about my trans siblings’ resilience and resistance, many of their lives are still being stolen. More have been killed at this point in the year than ever before.

At least 21 of them, and I am seeing initial reports of at least a few more. And there have been several assaults, and disappearances. Most of the US victims are Black, most in Puerto Rico and the rest of our world are Latina/x; most everywhere are women and young. And though overall reporting has improved, the reality has been worsening, and in a particular way since 2016.

🕯 Dustin Parker, 25, McAlester, Oklahoma, January 1st.
🕯 Neulisa Alexa Luciano Ruiz, age apparently unknown, 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, 25, 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, 31, Puerto Rico, April 13th -- killed in prison.
🕯 Nina Pop, 28, Sikeston, Missouri, May 3rd.
🕯 Helle Jae O’Regan, 20, San Antonio, Texas, May 6th.
🕯 Jayne Thompson, 33, Mesa County, Colorado, May 9th -- killed by police.
🕯 Tony McDade, 38, Tallhassee, Florida, May 27th -- killed by police.
🕯 Selena Reyes-Hernandez, 37, Chicago, Illinois, May 31st.
🕯 Dominique “Rem'mie” Fells, 25, Philadelphia, Pennsyania, June 9.
🕯 Riah Milton, 33, Liberty Township, Ohio, June 9th.
🕯 Brayla Stone, 17, Little Rock, Arkansas, June 25th.
🕯 Merci Mack, 22, Dallas, Texas, June 30th.
🕯 Shaki Peters, 32, Amite City, Louisiana, on July 1st.
🕯 Bree Black, 27, Pompano Beach, Florida, July 3rd.
🕯 Summer Taylor, 24, Seattle, Washington, July 4th -- killed by someone driving into the Black Lives Matter protest they were participating in, which has happened to several dozen BLM protesters this year, though most have survived.

In addition to gun violence and police brutality, trans people are at high risk for CoViD-19, HIV and other STIs, addiction, incarceration, family and partner abuse, mental illness, suicide, healthcare discrimination, poverty, homelessness, and many other things -- how much more so when we are in other oppressed groups. We still lack full legal protection in most states, and several states have anti-trans laws or bills -- and the Trump administration continues to undo trans rights progress nationally.

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.

May all of my trans siblings’ memories be blessings -- and call us to act! May make Black trans 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 today -- photos of everyone except Lexi, Penélope and Selena, with my photo of a trans symbol pendant / tealight / river rocks, on a purple background.)

#BlackLivesMatter #BlackTransLivesMatter #LatinxLivesMatter #LatinxTransLivesMatter #NativeLivesMatter #NativeTransLivesMatter #TwoSpiritLivesMatter #TransLivesMatter #TDOR #TDOR2020 #TransDayOfRemembrance ⚧💔🕯