Trans Day of Remembrance: Harrowing new report reveals most dangerous places in world to be trans
A candlelit vigil for Transgender Day of Remembrance, 2019. (Scott Varley/Digital First Media/Torrance Daily Breeze via Getty)
Ahead of Trans Day of Remembrance, a new report has confirmed the most dangerous places in the world to be trans.
Between 1 October, 2021 and 30 September, 2022 at least 327 trans and gender-diverse people have been killed around the world just for being themselves.
Transgender Europe (TGEU) released the figures from its Trans Murder Monitoring project ahead of Trans Day of Remembrance, on Sunday (20 November).
It confirmed that Latin America and the Caribbean is the region with the most reported murders – 222. Of those, 96 were reported in Brazil, more than any other country.
Anti-trans violence surged in Brazil under the leadership of far-right transphobe Jair Bolsonaro. He was defeated in the country’s October election by the left-wing Lula, who will be sworn in as president on 1 January.
Mexico reported 56 murders, while the US reported 51 – more than the entire continent of Asia (40), according to the report. (The HRC, which uses a different calendar, has recorded 32 American deaths since the beginning of 2022.)
This year, for the first time since Transgender Europe (TGEU) began its Trans Murder Monitoring project in 2008, trans women have been reported as murdered in Estonia and Switzerland.
Sabrina Houston from Jamaica was murdered in Tallin, Estonia, while Cristina Blackstar from Brazil was murdered in Lausanne, Switzerland – both were Black and reportedly both stabbed to death in their own home.
The UK reported one anti-trans killing.
Elsewhere in Europe, there were also four reported murders in Turkey, two in France, and one each in Georgia, Germany, Italy, Netherlands and Sweden.
Globally, 27 per cent of victims died in their own homes, with 35 per cent of killings happening in the street.
Most (95 per cent) reported victims were trans women or femmes. A majority of victims (65 per cent) were people of colour, and almost half (48 per cent) were known to be sex workers.
In Europe, 36 per cent of victims were migrants.
According to the figures, most of the victims murdered were aged between 31 to 40.
The TGEU states that most anti-trans murders still go unreported, meaning the true tally will be higher.
Luke Burredo from TGEU said: “The Trans Murder Monitoring exists not only to highlight the horrific murders of trans people worldwide, but also to show the need to ensure that the voices of the most marginalised in our communities are heard and amplified.”
It comes after 2021 was found to be the deadliest year on record for fatal violence against trans people, with 375 trans murders reported worldwide between 1 October 2020 to 30 September 2021.
Transgender Day of Remembrance was created to honour those whose lives are taken by anti-trans violence and to raise awareness of anti-trans violence.
