Today (November 17) marks the end of Transgender Awareness Week, which aims to bring education and attention to the issues facing the transgender community, with an emphasis on "issues of prejudice, discrimination and violence." The week is a lead up to Transgender Day of Remembrance on November 20, an annual event that honors transgender people who lost their lives to violence and transphobia in the past year.
Below, read five tweets that highlight media and resources focused on transgender people of color, who face the highest levels of violence.
The Williams Institute released a report last year breaking down the race and ethnicity data within the transgender community, which found that transgender adults are less likely to be White than the general U.S. population.
#TransWeek, Day 3. Read our report: https://t.co/WELXPjtZjT pic.twitter.com/empWM0sfxr
— Williams Institute (@WilliamsPolicy) November 15, 2017
Violence against transgender women, especially Black and Latinx ones, is on the rise, even as transgender folks break historic political barriers.
FBI found that #hatecrimes against #transgender Americans rose 44% last year. This #TransWeek, we must stand in solidarity to reassert that hate, violence & bigotry have no place in our communities. https://t.co/Fdmnzw3u6X
— Mike Quigley (@RepMikeQuigley) November 13, 2017
People who identify as non-binary have been fighting for more awareness of their unique transgender experience. This photo essay from GLAAD highlights the experience of eight non-binary people, including four people of color.
We teamed up with notable non-binary advocates influencers to unpack what it means to be non-binary. Check out the #BeyondTheBinary photo series: https://t.co/IpRRmuacKO #TransWeek pic.twitter.com/TVA2ViwJtw
— GLAAD (@glaad) November 16, 2017
Transgender people are at a higher risk for HIV than the general population, and half of the transgender people diagnosed with HIV are Black. HIV/AIDS resource The Body released videos of five transgender women who are living with HIV sharing the advice they would give their younger selves.
Five women share their advice for living your truth in @thebodydotcom‘s new #trans resource center #TransWeek https://t.co/nLFEhyWvO8 pic.twitter.com/jMB8TlQYZp
— The Body (@TheBodyDotCom) November 17, 2017
Despite all the struggles facing the transgender community, it’s clear that there is more representation of trans experience in the broader culture than in years past. Hope Giselle is just one example of a transgender leader who offers inspiration and mentorship to other transgender people around the country.
"When you get a platform, use it." – #Transgender activist Hope Giselle sat down with @HRC to answer 5 questions for #TransWeek. pic.twitter.com/Fr0Erk2NTY
— HumanRightsCampaign (@HRC) November 16, 2017