Two Black Trans Women Were Killed In The U.S.A. In The Past Week
Two black trans women were killed in the U.S.A in the past week as activists fight to protect black trans people while the Trump administration has reversed protections for trans people in the U.S. healthcare system.
Dominique “Rem’Mie” Fells in Pennsylvania and Riah Milton in Ohio were found dead on June 8 and June 9 respectively. Fells’ death was ruled a homicide and the investigation is still ongoing. The Philadelphia office of LGBT+ affairs stated about her killing that “The pain of such a loss is always difficult, but it is especially deep as we are in the midst of Pride month—a season typically filled with joy and celebration for many in our community.”
Milton was shot and killed during a robbery in Ohio. Two people were arrested and charged with her murder while a third man, Tyree Cross, has not been apprehended according to the local police.
Milton and Fell’s deaths come at the time where mass protest in the U.S. and across the globe are being held in protest against systemic racism and police brutality, demanding changes to address how Black people are treated.
“While we’re talking about racism, while we’re talking about the changes that need to be [done] in this country, we need to talk about the hate towards trans people… particularly towards Black trans women,” Deja Lynn Alvarez, a trans activist and advocate in Philadelphia, told ‘TIME’.
Alvarez, stated that when she learned of Fells’ death, one of her first thoughts was “no, not again. Black trans women are being murdered at an incredibly high rate… being someone from the community, it feels like it’s almost every other day at this point.”
According to the HRC, at least 14 trans and non-conforming people have been violently killed in 2020 alone. HRC President Alphonso David stated that “As our country faces a long-overdue reckoning with the violence and indignities that Black people have dealt with for centuries, we must affirm that Black Trans Lives Matter. And we must do everything we can to ensure that we create policies and laws that lift up our transgender siblings, and communities where transgender people are not targeted for who they are.”
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Read related myGwork articles here:
Black Trans Man Shot Dead By Policeman In Florida
One In Three Black Trans Youth Attempt Suicide, New Report Reveals
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