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President Joe Biden and HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra
"There should be no place for hate in America — and yet too many transgender Americans, including young people, are cruelly targeted and face harassment simply for being themselves," Biden said.
President Joe Biden and Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra are recognizing transgender Americans on Transgender Day of Remembrance, observed Wednesday, which commemorates those lost to violence.
"Today, on Transgender Day of Remembrance, we mourn the transgender Americans whose lives were taken this year in horrific acts of violence, said a statement from Biden. "There should be no place for hate in America — and yet too many transgender Americans, including young people, are cruelly targeted and face harassment simply for being themselves. It’s wrong. My Administration has taken significant action to strengthen the rights and protect the safety of all Americans, including working across the federal government to combat violence against transgender Americans. Every American deserves to be treated with dignity and respect, and to live free from discrimination. Today, we recommit ourselves to building a country where everyone is afforded that promise."
Becerra issued this statement: “Every day at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services we do all we can so that our fellow Americans, young and old, can live who they are, free from discrimination, harassment, and violence. We fight so that trans Americans can go to the doctor and receive the same treatment as any other patient … so that they feel welcomed at school and in their community for who they are. We fight for the rights of our transgender and nonbinary employees, including those within our own workforce, to have a safe and inclusive place to work. On this Transgender Day of Remembrance, I ask you to join me in recognizing the many transgender, nonbinary, and Two-Spirit Americans across this country for their extraordinary strength and resilience. We see you. We support you. We fight for you.”
It’s doubtful that incoming President Donald Trump or any federal government agency in a new Trump administration will support trans Americans, given his many anti-trans actions in his previous presidency and the hateful rhetoric that marked his campaign.
Republicans took a different approach on Trans Day of Remembrance. House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Republican, announced that incoming Democratic U.S. Rep. Sarah McBride, the first trans member of Congress, and other trans people will be barred from using single-sex restrooms matching their gender identity in House-controlled spaces in the Capitol complex.
At least 30 trans, nonbinary, or gender-nonconforming people have died violently in 2024 in the U.S.. There are likely many more, as deaths often go unreported or misreported, or misgendering of victims leads to delays in their identification.
The Human Rights Campaign has recorded the violent deaths of 372 transgender and gender-expansive people in the U.S. since 2013. On Tuesday, ahead of the Day of Remembrance, HRC’s Foundation — its educational arm — issued a report, “The Epidemic of Violence Against the Transgender and Gender Non-Conforming Community in the United States.”
“The hate towards transgender and gender-expansive community members is fueled by disinformation, rhetoric and ideology that treats our community as political pawns ignoring the fact that we deserve the opportunity to live our lives fully without fear of harm or death,” Tori Cooper, director of community engagement for HRC’s Transgender Justice Initiative, said in a press release. “Over half of the victims reported were Black trans women, a disturbing reality that reflects the trend of violence that continues to plague our community which disproportionately faces racism, misogynoir, sexism, transphobia and a myriad of other societal issues. In spite of these tragedies, I choose to remember the beauty brought to the world by those victims who left this earth far too soon and will celebrate their memories by continuing to fight for them through the Trans Justice Initiative’s advocacy and our leadership development work.”
