According to a new report released on November 19, 2024 by the Human Rights Campaign ahead of the Trans Day of Remembrance, at least 36 transgender and gender expansive people have been killed in the U.S. in the last year.
While the fatalities outlined in the report impact groups across gender-expansive people of “all ages, races, gender, gender identities, and from rural and urban areas,” Black transgender women saw the brunt of the violence: they comprise 61% of all victims of fatal violence against transgender and gender-expansive people in the 12 month period documented in the report. This represents a slight increase from the 2022-2023 time period, during which 33 victims were identified. Overall, in the period between Trans Day of Remembrance 2023 and 2024, people of color accounted for three-quarters of victims with a known race or ethnicity.
“The epidemic of violence against transgender and gender-expansive people is a national tragedy,” Kelley Robinson, president of the Human Rights Campaign Foundation said in a statement accompanying the report. “As we pause to honor those lost to fatal violence, we must also celebrate the fullness and beauty of their lives—lives filled with love, laughter, and dreams that were unjustly cut short. Let their memories ignite our determination to build a future where transgender and gender-expansive people are not merely surviving but thriving as free, equal, and valued members of society.”
HRC notes that, while data may change moderately year to year in their reports, many of the overarching patterns in data remain the same: transgender women of color — Black trans women in particular — are disproportionately affected by the epidemic of violence against trans people.
Since the HRC began tracking deaths among trans Americans in 2013, over 84% of victims were people of color, defined as “identifying as any race/ethnicity other than exclusively white.” More than two-thirds (68.6%) of victims identified as Black, exclusively or in combination with other racial/ethnic identities. The data is supported by organizations like Everytown, which noted that in 2023, 50% of gun homicides were of Black trans women.
This report is released amid an onslaught of anti-transgender legislation in the U.S. In 2023, over 550 anti-LGBTQ+ bills were introduced into state houses across the country, dozens of which were passed into law. In 2024, more than 500 additional anti-LGBTQ+ bills were introduced, and over 40 passed into law across 14 states, according to HRC. The impact of these bills had immediate and lasting effects among transgender youth. According to the Trevor Project, “86% of transgender and nonbinary youth say recent debates around anti-trans bills have negatively impacted their mental health.” The real-world effects of these laws can, as experts say was the case in the death of Nex Benedict, prove fatal.
As president-elect Donald Trump is poised to take office, Project 2025 looms as a blueprint for his administration’s extremist approach to LGBTQ+ issues, and the direct consequences for LGBTQ+ Americans. Calls and texts to the Trevor Project’s LGBTQ+ youth suicide prevention lines saw in a massive spike of activity, with a 700 percent increase in calls, texts and chats after election day as compared to prior weeks.
Still, as Them reports, in this devastating context, the time to assist trans communities across the country has never been more ripe, as individuals seek aid in finding shelter, medical care and support against legislative attacks.
- Utah-based Genderbands offers individual grants for trans people seeking help with medical costs (including surgeries for those over 18), travel, name and identity document changes, and special grants for trans youth with parental consent. Any trans person in the U.S., Canada, or Mexico may apply.
- The Iowa Mutual Aid Network’s fund assists with gender-affirming medical care throughout the state. Grant recipients may receive funding for hormone therapy, surgeries, therapy, and some other medical fees, as well as name change costs, travel expenses for medical care, and gender-affirming clothing.
- Gender Justice LA is a grassroots social justice organization of Black, indigenous, and POC trans and gender-diverse people that opened a new community center in Lincoln Heights this year. The group is raising funds via NetworkForGood to pay for the center’s rent for the next two years.
