Trans Day of Remembrance: A Letter From Sonny
This trans day of remembrance/resilience, we honor the bright, wonderful souls who were taken too soon on this earth.
It’s been a tough year for trans people, not that any year is easy. In the US, the Trump administration has made multiple attempts to strip us of our rights. From trying to ban transgender people from serving in the military, to attempting to write out our existence altogether, they are on an obvious mission to erase trans and intersex issues from the public consciousness. Trans immigrants are suffering increased violence due to Trump’s evil anti-immigration tactics, many of whom come to the US seeking asylum. Here in Massachusetts, I had to vote on my own rights to access public space on the ballet (We won, thank god.)
A lot of media is claiming that, with 369 reported trans murders worldwide in the past 12 months, this has been the deadliest year for trans people. But let’s not be so quick to issue statements like these; so many trans murders in the past and present went unreported that we really can't make these claims. Often trans people are misgendered when their bodies are found, and this makes it even harder to calculate the number of murders.
The fact is that when society criminalizes a group of people for merely existing, it’s much much harder for them to survive. And that’s what many of are trying to do: simply survive.
The murder epidemic hits trans women of color the hardest, sheltering many white masculine presenting folks like myself from the dangers that the trans community faces. I don’t fear for my life when I walk the streets alone at night, and that is a privilege. Running Qwear, I learn something new every day about the struggles the trans community faces outside of my lived experience, and this is the greatest privilege of all.
Black transfolk are suffering frm increased rates of poverty, violence, & homelessness. The most crucial thing needed of allies right now is leveraging of resources. Black trans folk need jobs, accessible healthcare, stable housing. Things you need to be demanding & securing #BTW
— Devin Michael Lowe (@ThatBoyYouLike) November 19, 2018
If you have the resources to help trans people not only stay alive, but thrive, here are a few places you can donate:
Last but not least, Qwear! We are bringing trans visibility to the forefront, placing the priority on trans people of color, and that visibility is what’s going to help us survive.
These are just some of the many organizations doing terrific work for trans folks. If you’d like, please share your favorites in the comments.
See The Advocate for a full list of the 27 reported trans murders in the US.
In love and solidarity,
Sonny Oram
Qwear Founder