By: Alyssa Smith
Above is an image that states, “#BlackTransLivesMatter.” This picture actively discusses the intersectionality of anti-racism and trans rights. The Black Lives Matter movement began in 2013 in response to George Zimmerman’s acquittal after he murdered Trayvon Martin. The movement quickly spread throughout the country, challenging the targeting of black people that frequently ends in the loss of innocent lives. On top of this movement, it is a fact that nearly one in every six transgender people (16%) are or have been incarcerated at some point in their lives. But among the black transgender community, that number goes up to nearly half (47%). This is an incredibly high percentage, given that there is only an estimated 0.6% transgender population in the United States.
By specifying that Black Trans Lives Matter, this image is calling out the fact that not only are black people more frequent targets of police violence and incarceration but black transgender people even more so. Black trans people are more likely to face abuse in prisons or to be killed in the United States. This image calls for awareness of the risk that these people face throughout their daily lives. By connecting the issue of race with the rights of trans people, it acknowledges that trans people of color are more vulnerable to the issues this country has yet to fix.
Works Cited
Af4c78f14670260e9750cbe0bb9ca479.Jpg (JPEG Image, 600 × 960 Pixels) – Scaled (68%). https://i.pinimg.com/originals/af/4c/78/af4c78f14670260e9750cbe0bb9ca479.jpg. Accessed 6 Dec. 2018.
Flores, Andrew. “How Many Adults Identify as Transgender in the US.” The Williams Institute, 2016, williamsinstitute.law.ucla.edu/wp-content/uploads/How-Many-Adults-Identify-as-Transgender-in-the-United-States.pdf.
“Prison and Detention Reform.” National Center for Transgender Equality, 2014, www.transequality.org/sites/default/files/docs/resources/NCTE_Blueprint_for_Equality2012_Prison_Reform.pdf.