Hi, thank you for doing this.
Why don't you sit down right here and
try to get these mics on everybody?
By a show of hands,
how many of you have been a target
of violence for who you are?
They want you to see them as they
see themselves transgender women.
But more than that, just women.
You know, as I sit here today,
6, three, 250 plus trans woman,
it is only safe to say that
I draw a lot of attention.
But these women have learned the world
is not always an accepting place and
can be a cruel and dangerous one too.
And in broad daylight, next to a
fire station, for simply existing,
it was the day before Easter 2017,
along Florida Ave in northeast Monroe,
posting first targeted with verbal attacks.
That's a man.
Get him who he thinks he Foodland,
then physical ones as I walked
into the store and they continued.
When I walked out of the store,
that's when they started to put that.
Throw their hands up and start
trying to attack me and the the rest.
Unfortunately, is the part of my story.
Sadly, the stories of violence
against the transgender community
are becoming more and more common.
They held me against the wall.
Like with the gun to my head.
It happened in 2014 while she was
doing what she calls sex work,
being paid for sex in Birmingham, AL.
So I'm like, should I call the
police or should I not call
the police because number one?
I'm black then I'm trans and I'm in Alabama
that same year. Threats made against
Taylor Chandler shook her to her core.
Wish you'd burned to death and
then they would rape you and
make sure that you're dead
targeted. She said after her
transgender identity became public
for straight people.
They go out and do stuff and never think
that they could be killed or harmed.
I think when you're LGBTQ and especially
trans and especially trans of color.
You're always thinking that
you could be murdered.
It's not even like there's a fear
of it per say, it's just a given.
It's going to happen and that needs to change
the Human Rights Campaign says last
year was the deadliest on record
for the transgender community,
with at least 47 killed nationwide.
And since 2013, HRC says at least
284 transgender people have been
murdered across the country,
including three from our area Zoe.
Spears, Ashanti, Carmen and Tea, Ashton
political rhetoric normalizes violence.
We saw that on January the 6th.
It's the same when it comes
to transgender people.
Torey Cooper is director of
community engagement for HRC's
Transgender Justice initiative.
She says the rise in transgender
violence is driven in part
by a wave of anti LGBTQ,
plus legislation and sentiment
in conservative leaning states.
HRC reporting last year.
More than 130 anti transgender bills
were introduced across eight states,
with state legislators enacting 13 of them
when they are demeaning trans
people in that very, very existence
and again attempting to legislate
every single part of our existence.
Suddenly, people who may have
thought otherwise who may have
simply had thoughts but didn't want,
didn't act on them.
Suddenly, they feel empowered
to commit crimes against us.
Also says the epidemic of transgender
violence disproportionately targets
black people, with research showing
66% of all transgender murders
were black transgender women.
You don't see stories of people
that look like me being attacked,
and let's be honest, if Caitlyn
Jenner was assaulted or attacked,
there'd be a task force.
But when you have a black
trans woman that's attacked or
brutally assaulted or murdered,
it's a a sound bite. On the news,
the women told me it's on all of
us to end the cycle of violence by
treating the transgender community
with acceptance and respect,
regardless of whether you
understand their journey.
For women like Monroe,
an actress with an upcoming role
on a successful cable TV series.
Or Taylor's about to publish the 4th book?
And Kanaya who is now a counselor in
Prince Georges County providing support
services to those living with HIV,
AIDS and other sexually
transmitted infections.
You know, just touching one
person makes a difference.
I'm someone's daughter.
I'm someone's niece.
I'm someone's aunt.
If you have someone in your
life that you love extremely
dearly to your heart right now,
decided that they wanted to
be someone else, because that
is authentically who they are.
With the lab change.