Today is the 2012 International Transgender Day of Remembrance, created to draw attention to the many people killed due to anti-trans hatred and prejudice and mourn those who have been lost.
A shocking number of transgender people are killed each year in murders related to their gender identity, the TVT Project reports:
The March 2012 update reveals a total of 816 reported killings of trans people in 55 countries worldwide from January 1st 2008 to December 31st 2011. The update shows an exponential increase in reported killings of trans people over the last four years. In 2008, 141 cases were reported, in 2009 213 cases, in 2010 214 cases, and in 2011 a shocking number of 248. These are mainly the reported cases that could be found through Internet research and cooperation with trans organizations and activists. In most countries, data on murdered trans people are not systematically produced and it is impossible to estimate the numbers of unreported cases.
GLAAD has posted a timeline of transgender visibility.
The HuffPost looks at 50 trans icons.
The Socially Connected Equality Network made this video in memory of the 265 transgender people who lost their lives in 2012. Writes SCEN: "This video is there to honor those that died so violently and prematurely. Some victims were tortured, burned or shot more than a dozen times only because they were expressing who they truly felt they were inside."
(clip via think progress)
