Human Rights Campaign President Alphonso David on the Unprecedented Fatal Violence Against the Transgender and Gender Non-Conforming Community in 2020

by Elizabeth Bibi •

With the news of Felycya Harris’s violent death in Augusta, Georgia, we have now matched the highest number of violent deaths of transgender and gender non-conforming people the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) has ever recorded in a one year period. At least 31 people have been violently killed this year, the vast majority of whom were transgender women of color. We say at least because too often these stories go unreported -- or misreported.

The highest number of fatal deaths of transgender or gender non-conforming people that the Human Rights Campaign has tracked over a 12 month period was in 2017, when we also saw 31 people violently killed. We have reached that number in 2020 with nearly 3 months left to go in the year.

In reaction, Human Rights Campaign President Alphonso David released the following statement:

“With news of the death of Felycya Harris, we have hit a grim milestone: we have now matched the highest number of transgender or gender non-conforming people who were victims of fatal violence in one year - and there are 3 more months left in the year. This epidemic of violence, which is particularly impacting transgender women of color, must and can be stopped. We must work to address the factors that underpin this culture of violence and openly discuss how the intersection of racism, sexism, homophobia, biphobia and transphobia work to deprive transgender and gender non-conforming people of equal access to opportunity and necessities like employment, housing and health care.”

We mourn the individuals we have lost this year while remembering them for who they were: our partners, family members, friends and community members. Not one of the 31 lives we have lost this year, or the 196 we have lost since 2013, deserved to have their lives or their futures taken from them.”

Read more about Felycya Harris here. In order to combat stigma against the transgender and gender non-conforming community, HRC has collaborated with WarnerMedia on a PSA campaign to lift up their voices and stories. Watch the PSA here.

Background information:

Please note that the number of violent deaths may be increasing not only due to an escalating amount of violence, but also potentially because more instances of violence are being reported by advocates, the media and law enforcement. For reporters covering this epidemic of violence, please read HRC’s resources on the topic:

The HRC Foundation will be releasing it’s 2020 report on fatal violence against transgender and gender non-conforming people in late November in recognition of Transgender Day of Rememberance (November 20th).

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Topics:
Transgender