🏺Trans violence

Sept 1st 2025

On November 20, 1999, in San Francisco, activists gathered for the first Transgender Day of Remembrance, honoring the memory of Rita Hester and others lost to anti-trans violence. What began as a small candlelight vigil is now observed annually around the world, commemorating trans and non-binary people murdered simply for living openly.

Violence is a constant danger for the trans members of our community, and despite misleading claims, they are overwhelmingly the victims of violence. Out of more than five hundred U.S. mass killings (4+ victims as per Gun Violence Archive) over the last 25 years, only a couple of perpetrators have been credibly proven to be trans or non-binary. In contrast, cisgender men account for well over 95% of perpetrators. Around 20% of such incidents have misogynistic motives, and among those designated as domestic terrorism, the vast majority were carried out by right-wing ideologues. The myth of a “trans shooter problem” has zero basis in fact.

What is real, measurable, and heartbreakingly consistent is violence against trans communities. In the last 15 years, at least 400 trans and non-binary people have been murdered in the United States—and the true number is higher, obscured by misgendering and underreporting. The majority were young trans women of color, often killed in acts of homophobia, transmisogyny, or targeted hate. Globally, the Trans Murder Monitoring project recorded 350 victims worldwide in just the past year.

History is clear: trans people are not a danger to society—they are in danger from it, especially in a climate poisoned by right-wing lies.

They are astronomically more likely to be victims than perpetrators.

Real justice requires that we fight not the conjured menace of people living trans lives, but the very real violence that continues to cut them short.

This can’t wait until November—correct the record now