Respect Diversity + Inclusion

22 transgender people have been killed so far this year — almost the total toll for 2019

by Anagha Srikanth | Jul 24, 2020 | Jul. 24, 2020

candles lit at a vigil

Story at a glance

  • At least 22 transgender people have been killed in the United States so far this year.
  • With less than half a year left, the transgender death toll is almost equal to what it was in 2020.
  • If deaths continue at this rate, more transgender people will be killed in 2020 than last year.

Last year, at least 26 transgender people were killed in the United States. This year, at least 22 transgender people have been killed so far in the United States, almost twice as many as the same time last year. 

The latest was Marilyn Cazares, a transgender Latina killed in Brawley, Calif., and found dead in an abandoned home on July 13 by first responders responding to a fire outside the home. Cazares was fatally stabbed, her aunt, Mindy Garcia, told the Palm Springs Desert Sun, adding that the family believed it was transphobia that led to her death. 

“This crime must be investigated with the utmost thoroughness, care and humanity. Marilyn Cazares was a human being, a beloved member of her family and the Brawley community,” said Tori Cooper, Human Rights Campaign director of community engagement for the transgender justice initiative, in a release. “HRC has heard that Cazares was experiencing homelessness, furthering some of the societal barriers that put the transgender and gender non-conforming communities at risk of extreme violence. One way to truly bring justice for Cazares’ death would be to work to end homelessness — which disproportionately affects young LGBTQ people — and to provide more transgender-affirming resources for those experiencing homelessness.”  

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Transgender people face high rates of homelessness and violence due to their identity, risks that have been exacerbated during the coronavirus pandemic. LGBTQ+ people have been more likely to have their hours cut than others, and the pandemic has put a strain on available resources. At the same time, the Trump administration has sought to remove transgender protections in healthcare and housing. 

Cazares was the fourth transgender person killed in the first three weeks of July, the 22nd in 2020, according to the HRC. By the same date last year, at least 12 transgender people had been killed, although deaths of transgender people often go misreported or are misidentified, so the number is likely higher. If deaths continue at this rate, more than 30 transgender people will be dead by the end of this year. 

This count doesn’t include Tatiana Hall, a 22-year-old Black transgender woman who was found dead on June 29. Details of her death are unclear, and a coroner’s report concludes her death was “accidental” due to “drug intoxication,” according to BuzzFeed. But her friends insist there is more to her death. The Philadelphia Police Department has asked that anyone with information about Hall come forward to assist in the investigation.

Seven of the victims so far this year are Black transgender women, statistically the most at-risk population. As the deaths of Breonna Taylor and George Floyd sparked protests across the United States, advocates have been pushing for the recognition of their names as well. 

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