Dismantling a Culture of Violence: Understanding Anti-Transgender Violence and Ending the Crisis.

Since 2013, more than 130 transgender and gender-expansive individuals have been killed in the United States. Even in the face of this physical danger, hatred and discrimination, transgender Americans live courageously and overcome unjust barriers in all corners of our country. But until we as a country collectively address and dismantle these barriers, transgender people will continue to face higher rates of discrimination, poverty, homelessness and violence. While it’s tempting and common to pursue largely reactive and temporary solutions, we must address the root causes of this violence to make our communities safer for everyone. It is unacceptable that transgender and gender-expansive people are killed simply because of who they are. It’s not enough to grieve the loss of victims of anti-transgender violence. We must honor their memories with action. In this resource, we hope to demonstrate how anti-transgender stigma, denial of opportunity and increased risk factors compound to create a culture of violence. But most importantly, we provide clear ways that each of us, no matter who we are, can directly make an impact to make our society a safer place for transgender people.