Activists Rally Across the Country to End Violence Against Trans Women

Activists across the country are rallying Wednesday in a National Day of Action to end violence against transgender women of color. Organizers are responding to the rising number of trans women murdered each year. There have been at least seven reported homicides of transgender women in 2017.

Rallies are happening in Boston, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, Washington, D.C., and Winston-Salem, N.C., among other cities. Organizers of the day of action are using the hashtag #ProtectTransWomen. The event is described as a national day of action to "celebrate the lives of black trans women and protect all trans women and femmes."

The National LGBTQ Task Force is joining advocates at the rally in Washington. A spokeswoman for the group addressed the need for the national day of action in a statement. "Over 55 transgender and gender-nonconforming people have been murdered since the start of 2015, the vast majority of whom were transgender women of color, and there seems to be no end in sight," said Victoria Rodriguez-Roldan, trans/gender-nonconforming justice project director. "We are in the midst of a national epidemic of violence targeting transgender women, and instead of using every tool in their power to end it, the Trump administration is spewing hate, intolerance, and discrimination. We must honor the lives of transgender women of color who've been murdered and we must continue the resistance against Trump's agenda."