First trans woman murdered in US in 2019
NEW YORK, NY – OCTOBER 24: L.G.B.T. activists and their supporters rally in support of transgender people on the steps of New York City Hall, October 24, 2018 in New York City. The group gathered to speak out against the Trump administration’s stance toward transgender people. Last week, The New York Times reported on an unreleased administration memo that proposes a strict biological definition of gender based on a person’s genitalia at birth. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)
An Alabama woman has become the first reported murder of a trans person in the US in 2019.
Dana Martin was shot dead on Sunday (January 6) near the 3900 block of Brewer Road, Montgomery, reports local paper the Montgomery Advertiser.
Police were called to a shooting at 11pm on January 6, where they found Martin with a fatal gunshot wound in a car in a ditch.
The paper did not mention Martin’s gender.
Trans woman Dana Martin is shot dead
However, LGBT+ activists in Montogmery told Attitude that she was a trans woman.
Meta Ellis and Harvey McDaniel, who work for Montgomery Pride United, told the publication that they have been in touch with police about using Martin’s correct gender.
At least 26 trans people were murdered in the US in 2018, with the majority being trans women of colour
Most trans murder victims in 2018 were trans women of colour
The actual number, however, could be higher as there is no official data collection on crimes against trans people, and trans murder victims have been known to be misgendered by local press.
Dana Martin was murdered on the 3900 block of Brewer Road, Montgomery. (Google Maps)
In November, the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) released a report looking at the high levels of violence against America’s transgender community.
It found that 74 percent of identified transgender murder victims were misgendered (referred to using their birth gender) or deadnamed (referred to using their birth name) in initial police or media reports surrounding their deaths.
“Transgender people face devastating levels of discrimination and harassment in the workplace,” reads the report.
“These barriers are even higher for Black transgender people, who have double the unemployment rate of all transgender people, and four times that of the US general population.
“Transgender people face devastating levels of discrimination and harassment in the workplace.”
“With limited access to workplaces that are affirming and inclusive, transgender and gender-expansive people are put at greater risk for poverty, homelessness and involvement with criminalised work.
“Together, these factors put transgender people at an increased risk of violence and danger.”
Last year, the HRC Foundation and the Trans People of Color Coalition released a report documenting violence against trans gender people. It found that 2017 was the deadliest year on record for transgender people, particularly for trans women of colour.
