Remembrance into Action: Honoring Trans Women of Color Filed by:
Guest Blogger November 22, 2008 10:00 AM
http://www.bilerico.com/2008/11/remembrance_into_action_honoring_trans_w.phpEditors' Note: Guest blogger Amanda Morgan is a Vaid fellow with the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force Policy Institute.Transgender Day of Remembrance feels especially sad this year, with Duanna Johnson and Latiesha Green, two black trans women, murdered within a week of each other and another trans woman of color I met just a few weeks ago dead from as yet undisclosed causes. I am often made aware of the vulnerability of our bodies when we are transgender or gender non-conforming and of color, but on this day it feels especially pertinent.
I am lucky -- I have made it through my life thus far having survived attacks that were not fatal or permanently disabling and having only received intimidation or threats based on my gender identity/sexual orientation. But many are not so lucky, 16 trans people have been murdered thus far this year and out of those 16, 11 are identified as people of color; the other six have not been publicly identified as belonging to any racial group. Ariel Herrera of Amnesty International has noted, The most vulnerable are transgendered individuals of color. They are the most stigmatized in the community and often targeted by police.
