Human Rights First Marks Transgender Day of Remembrance
Washington, D.C. – Human Rights First today joins together with lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) activists and allies, and human rights organizations around the world on Transgender Day of Remembrance to honor those who have been subjected to transphobic-based persecution, violence, and death.
“Today we remember the transgender people around the world who have lost their lives from fear-based discrimination, hatred, and violence. Transphobia is an evil that members of the transgender community in all corners of the world are forced to confront daily,” said Human Rights First’s Shawn Gaylord. “We stand together with the transgender community and human rights activists around the world to demand the protection of the human rights of transgender people, and we will continue to work together with policymakers and the international community to eliminate transphobia and stop the spread of discriminatory laws and policies that are prevalent in many parts of the world today.”
Transgender Day of Remembrance is an international day of action established to remember the transgender victims of hate crimes and raise awareness of the ongoing climate of discrimination and violence faced by the global transgender community. Violence against transgender people is neither isolated nor scarce. In the last 12 months alone, 226 transgender people from 28 countries have lost their lives from brutal acts of murder around the world. From Brazil to Turkey, and Nigeria to Malaysia, transgender individuals have become victims of heinous violent crimes.
Since 2008 Transgender Europe’s Trans Murder Monitoring (TMM) project has documented 1,612 reported killings of transgender people in 62 countries, 100 of which occurred in the United States. This shocking figure highlights the severe lack of programs in place to protect the transgender community from violence of this magnitude.
Human Rights First continues to urge the United States to stand with those who are fighting against discrimination and work to promote the protection of human rights for transgender people globally. The organization is calling for the State Department to establish a Special Envoy in the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor responsible for foreign policy initiatives to protect the human rights of LGBT people worldwide.