At least 32 transgender people killed in U.S. this year, mostly trans women of color, latest report shows

CW: fatalities, shootings. 

At least 32 transgender people killed in U.S. this year, report finds

At least 32 transgender and gender-nonconforming people have been killed in the U.S. since the beginning of 2022, according to the latest report from Human Rights Campaign (HRC).

The LGBTQ advocacy group tracks deadly violence targeting transgender and gender non-conforming people in the U.S. and shares its figures annually.

The latest set, issued Wednesday (November 16), during Trans Awareness Week, once again stresses the importance of “at least” ahead of any numbers – because often these stories go unreported, or misreported. Families of the deceased may register their death under the name and gender assigned at birth, being one example.

Also, similarly to former years, 2022 figures show a disproportionate majority of those deaths were Black transgender women and people of color.

In 2022, trans people of color comprised 81% of the victims killed, and 59% were Black, according to the report.

Their names are: Tiffany Banks, Semaj Billingslea, Acey Morrison, Mya Allen, Dede Ricks, Maddie Hofmann, Aaron Lynch, Kandii Reed, Hayden Davis, Marisela Castro Cherry Bush, Keshia Chanel Geter, Martasia Richmond, Kitty Monroe, Shawmaynè Giselle Marie, Brazil Johnson, Chanelika Y’Ella Dior Hemingway, Nedra Sequence Morris, Ray Muscat, Fern Feather, Ariyanna Mitchell, Miia Love Parker, Kenyatta “Kesha” Webster, Kathryn “Katie” Newhouse, Tatiana Labelle, Paloma Vazquez, Matthew Angelo Spampinato, Naomie Skinner, Cypress Ramos, Duval Princess and Amariey Lej. 

By way of information gathering, HRC confirms these cases by working with local advocates, the media and sometimes law enforcement. In doing this work, there are some cases that surface that are unclear – where victims may have died by other means than violent acts by another individual. In these cases, HRC works to monitor developments closely and calls for further investigation into the causes and circumstances surrounding their deaths.

Overall, these victims were killed by acquaintances, partners or strangers, some of whom have been arrested and charged, while others have yet to be identified, HRC notes.

Broken down, the incredibly sad findings show that:

• 81% of the trans people killed this year were trans women, and 81% were also under the age of 35.
• 72% of fatalities this year involved a firearm.
• The deaths in 2022 spanned 17 states and 26 cities and towns, with Florida and Michigan tying for the most deaths, at 4 victims each. Texas and Pennslyvania each recorded three deaths.
• HRC noted in the report that the figure 32 is likely an undercount because trans people’s deaths can often go unreported or are reported without being properly identified as trans or gender non-conforming.

  

The big picture: HRC has recorded at least 302 deaths of trans and gender non-conforming people since 2013, when it began tracking the data.

• Since 2013, more than 85% of the victims have been people of color and about 69% were Black. About 85% of victims were trans women.
• In 40% of the cases over the last decade, “no arrest has been made, and the killer remains unknown, or a named suspect remains at large,” the report stated.
• In 2021, HRC recorded the 59 cases of fatal violence against trans and gender-nonconforming people, the highest ever since it began tracking the figure in 2013, the report stated in an update to its previous year’s annual report.

More information about each person’s life and how they died has been published with the new report.

HRC said in its press release that:

“These victims, like all of us, are loving partners, parents, family members, friends and community members. They worked, went to school and attended houses of worship. They were real people — people who did not deserve to have their lives taken from them.”

Tori Cooper, Director of Community Engagement for HRC’s Transgender Justice Initiative, included a call-to-action in the report, saying:

“I call on transgender people everywhere and our allies to respond to this dark moment by advocating anywhere and everywhere, to whomever will listen, in support of our lived & legal equality — and, most importantly, our lives.”

The Human Rights Campaign has recorded at least 300 deaths of transgender and gender non-conforming people from violent incidents since it began tracking cases in 2013.

However, as mentioned, because victims of these crimes are not always correctly identified by authorities and the press, the organization makes clear that the death toll is almost certainly underreported.

Trans Day of Remembrance (TDOR) will take place on Sunday, November 20.