Protecting Black Trans Women Then, Now, and Forever
In the past month alone, there have been multiple reports of mistreatment of black transgender woman. According to the New York Times, it was just announced that New York City is required to pay $5.9 million to the family of Layleen Polanco, who tragically died after having an epileptic seizure while in solitary confinement at Rikers Island. The LA Times just released a report that two men were charged with assault and robbery on an attack on a group of transgender women in Hollywood last month.
Unfortunately, these are just a couple of recent examples of the many injustices and aggressive discrimination that black transgender women face daily dating back for as long as we can remember. At least 22 transgender women have been killed in 2019.
Black Transgender women have been and still are disenfranchised by society. Some examples include:
In June, the Trump administration removed nondiscrimination protections for LGBTQ people regarding healthcare. This means a transgender person could be denied healthcare based on the providers beliefs.
The Trump administration’s DOE also has had it’s own assault on transgender rights - most recently arguing that trans-women school athletes are protected from discrimination under Title IX.
There was also a proposed rule to turn away transgender homeless people, and included ways to “spot” how they are transgender.
Angry yet? You should be. These three items were only in the past few months. These are on top of an exhausting history of mistreatment of transgender people. Aside from these assaults on basic human rights, there are also some very frightening statistics regarding our trans community.
1 out of 10 trans people are attacked every year.
50% of the transgender population are survivors of sexual assault.
1 out of 4 Black trans women are more likely to be fired due to their gender identity.
Trans people are 3 times more likely to be unemployed than the rest of the United States population.
So what can you do?
There’s a lot you can do!
First and foremost, showing up is huge if you feel safe attending a protest or demonstration.
Educate yourself! Start with some online resources like this TEDx Talk by Joshua Allen. Also check out the National Center for Transgender Equality and Trans Women of Color Collective. Check out a few more here!
Support! See some accounts below to follow and support.
#blacktranslivesmatter today, tomorrow, and always.