Task Force commemorates Transgender Day of Remembrance
The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force today commemorates the Transgender Day of Remembrance. This annual event remembers people lost to anti-transgender violence over the past year. For more information, including a list of related events, visit www.transgenderdor.org.
Last year, the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force and the National Center for Transgender Equality (NCTE) released the groundbreaking study Injustice at Every Turn: A Report of the National Transgender Discrimination Survey. Among its findings were that one in four transgender people reported being physically assaulted and one in 10 reported being sexually assaulted because of their gender identity/expression.
Task Force Executive Director Rea Carey says:
The Task Force family joins in the somber commemoration of the Transgender Day of Remembrance. We hold in our hearts and thoughts those lost to anti-transgender hate violence. Let us all use this day to not only remember, but to rededicate ourselves to bringing an end to discrimination and violence against transgender people. As our national study shows, discrimination is pervasive and severe toward transgender and gender non-conforming people. The alarming personal stories and stats show that transgender people face injustice everywhere and in many ways. They fear for their livelihood, their safety, their ability to feed their families and have a roof over their heads. This is simply unacceptable. We must continue working toward a culture that affirms the dignity and worth of all people. Until no more of our transgender friends and family are lost to senseless hate violence, we must not rest.
More about our report on transgender discrimination
According to Injustice at Every Turn, transgender people are exposed to violence because of a variety of forms of discrimination. Twenty six (26) percent of respondents had lost a job due to being transgender and 50 percent were harassed at work. Transgender people also experience high rates of housing instability and homelessness. The survey revealed that transgender people were four times more likely to live in extreme poverty compared to the general population. It found that more than half of transgender and gender non-conforming people who were bullied, harassed or assaulted in school because of their gender identity have attempted suicide.
Study findings also showed higher rates of discrimination and violence, across the board, for transgender people of color. The Task Force, along with the National Black Justice Coalition and NCTE, released a factsheet specifically on the experiences of black survey respondents. A factsheet about Latino/a respondents was released by the Task Force in conjunction with NCTE and the League of United Latin American Citizens. It was followed by publications focusing on discrimination against Asian American, South Asian, Southeast Asian and Pacific Islander respondents, conducted by NCTE, the Task Force and the National Queer Asian Pacific Islander Alliance. Also, American Indian and Alaska Native respondents’results were released by the Task Force and NCTE.
