It is both an honor and horrifying to be cited in an essay like this one, exploring the realities of the pandemic of violence Transgender American experience. I have only been documenting through my ‘In Memoriam’ series since 2013, but you can find much more data and personal details on the TDOR website, going back to 1998.
Lack of public interest, coupled with chronic misgendering and misreporting by police and press alike – along with a general refusal to treat such killings as hate crimes – have concealed the true magnitude of this crisis. Instead, the victims themselves are often demonized and mischaracterized. Still, a few activists and organizations, including TransGriot and PghLesbian Correspondents’ In Memoriam blog, have worked valiantly to record and represent our slain neighbors with dignity.
Following a careful analysis of the In Memoriam site, Cleveland has more known references of transphobic killing than any other city in the U.S. since record keeping began, followed by seven in Philadelphia, and six in both Baltimore and Dallas. On a state basis, Texas has 17 recorded killings, followed by Ohio with 15 and Florida with 14 since 2013.
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