More Than 102 Transgender People Have Been Murdered This Year
The one-month old Trans* Violence Tracking Portal — a site that compiles media and user-reported data to quantify the monthly instances of physical attacks on transgender people — reports that at least 102 trans people have been murdered in 2014.
The specific instances of shooting, dismembering and lethal beatings are ghastly:
Of the 102 murders, 36 persons were shot multiple times, 14 stabbed multiple times, 11 were beaten to death, 3 were burned to death, 3 dismembered/mutilated, and 2 were tortured, 2 were strangled, 1 was hanged, 1 had her throat cut and 1 was stoned to death.
As the portal only has information from 14 countries, and because many attacks on transgender people never make it into media or police reports, the numbers are likely far greater than the portal’s verified count.
According to the portal, “data is verified based on news media and published information as well as substantiated individual reporting. The project will also be reaching out to police departments worldwide to get current case standings.”
To be clear, I'm not diminishing the fact of the murders of transgender people, but I question the editorializing.
"36 persons were shot multiple times, 14 stabbed multiple times,"
Isn't this normal? You'd have to be pretty good to do someone in on the first shot. Cops certainly don't use just one shot.
Posted by: Randy | May 18, 2014 5:44:53 PM
I'm not trying to be mean but even when gay men and lesbians act outside their gender (lesbians acting butch, gays acting fem) it makes me feel uncomfortable as a gay man who is STILL A MAN. I may be gay but I'm a man. And I just don't get it. It's things like that which make heterosexual religious people think negatively of us I think.
Posted by: T- Nebraska | May 18, 2014 7:31:10 PM
That tracker consists of "reports" like this one:
Name: Unknown Name
Age: Unknown
Date of Death: 01/01/2014
Location: Brazil
Cause of Death: not reported- TMM
Source: Source Pending
Other entries are sourced only to "Youtube" or "Facebook." Still others have more detail and have better sourcing, but do not appear to indicate that there was a murder. Still others do reflect that a murder took place, but don't say how it was related to the victim being trans.
All in all, it's fairly useless. I'm sure that there are actual murders specifically related to trans identity reflected in this list, but it is ridiculous to credit all of these vague, unsubstantiated, and unsourced reports as if they are actual murders.
Dan Villarreal is such a lazy and indifferent writer, he can't be bothered to actually look at the list and do follow up on any of the specific cases. Maybe if the victims weren't trans, he would care enough to do so.
Posted by: Jay | May 18, 2014 7:46:00 PM
GIven the number of transexuals who work as prostitutes and drug dealers it's not surprising that a bunch of them die in a given year.
Posted by: Enchantra | May 18, 2014 7:53:55 PM
So this group doesn't think that the murders of lesbian, gay and bisexual people are worth tracking?
Posted by: Hector V. | May 18, 2014 8:14:52 PM
Hector,
You can be sure that if some group set up a tracker for LGB murders but didn't include the T, there would be outrage galore about how it is separatism or about how Ts are getting thrown under a bus - an expression trans activists use every time they don't get what they demand. But when a group tracks only trans murders, well, then of course it is no problem!
LGBT is a tool used to take advantage of LGBs. It is used to channel human resources, political capital, and money to trans activists, while imposing no obligation on Ts.
Posted by: Debs | May 18, 2014 10:35:54 PM
Who cares?! Kill 'em all!
Posted by: Dakota | May 19, 2014 4:27:14 AM
How many of these victims identify as LGB.
Sad story - but really of little relevance to the LGB community.
Drop the T.
Posted by: MaryM | May 19, 2014 7:53:55 AM
The amount of transphobia among commenters on this site never ceases to amaze me.
Posted by: Daniel | May 19, 2014 11:19:20 PM
The amount of transphobia among commenters on this site never ceases to amaze me.
Posted by: Daniel | May 19, 2014 11:19:33 PM
The amount of transphobia among commenters on this site never ceases to amaze me.
Posted by: Daniel | May 19, 2014 11:19:50 PM
The amount of transphobia among commenters on this site never ceases to amaze me.
Posted by: Daniel | May 19, 2014 11:20:13 PM
Daniel, I think they heard you the first time. I believe what you are reading is that the T appearing within the LGB community does not make sense. Homosexuality (LGB) really has nothing to do with sexually identity yet it is done so for Statistics and those tasks on the resources.
Posted by: lee | May 20, 2014 2:18:24 AM
Have to agree with Daniel, regardless of the accuracy per se of the article, it's kinda of exhausting reading all this hate. I may not be trans but for god sake, have some sympathy and empathy! Some of you who always comment on trans issues, we heard you the first time!
Posted by: Rowan | May 20, 2014 6:37:25 AM
Andy, at some point you have to tak responsibility for the level of vitriol in the comments section. This is not okay. You should t give a forum to people advocating death for trans people. It is repulsive.
Posted by: ChristopherM | May 20, 2014 9:47:54 AM