Biden vows to work against ‘intolerable’ violence against transgender people
President-elect makes pledge on day of remembrance for people murdered because of transphobia
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Your support makes all the difference.President-elect Joe Biden on Friday vowed that once sworn into office, his administration will work to address the “intolerable” acts of violence being perpetrated against the transgender community, which has suffered one of the deadliest years on record.
Mr Biden’s statement comes on Transgender Day of Remembrance, a day observed annually to memorialise transgender people who have been murdered because of transphobia. It was started in 1999 in response to the murder of Rita Hester, a transgender African American woman, who was killed in Allston, Massachusetts the year before.
The Human Rights Campaign (HRC) foundation released a report on Thursday titled: An Epidemic Of Violence: Fatal Violence Against Transgender and Gender Non-Conforming People in the United States in 2020.The organisation said it had recorded 37 violent deaths of transgender and non-conforming people this year, more than any year since it began tracking the violence in 2013.
“On Transgender Day of Remembrance, we honour their lives – and recommit to the work that remains to ensure that every transgender and gender-nonconforming person in America as the opportunity to live authentically, earn a living wage, and be treated with dignity and respect in their communities and workplaces.”
Mr Biden called for people to work together to end the violence and discrimination against transgender people and “never repeat it.”
“Transgender rights are human rights. To transgender and gender-nonconforming people across America and around the world: from the moment I am sworn in as president of the United States, know that my administration will see you, listen to you, and fight for not only your safety but also the justice you have been denied.”
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