In 2014, 226 transgender individuals were murdered. In 2013 it was 238 murders. Transgender people face a disproportionate amount of violence and hate.
In the book Killing the Black Body: Race, Reproduction, and the Meaning of Liberty, Professor Dorothy Roberts outlines in her chapter on liberty that everyone deserves full autonomy over the bodies in which they live.
Fran Olsen, another legal scholar, states that "Privacy is most enjoyed by those with power."
The frameworks both of these legal scholars use when discussing reproductive justice and rights can easily be tied into how the world views transgender individuals. How we as a mainstream society view and deal with violence against those that don't fit society's "normal" is concerning and contributes to the injustice against transgender individuals.
Alexis King was murdered in February 2006. Her killer was found guilty of voluntary manslaughter which only carried a minimum of five years in prison. Although he had an illegal gun in the car and he was cruising the streets at 5 a.m. in search of a sex partner, the judge believed the killer's plea of ignorance. Stating that he did not know Alexis "was a male with a penis," when Alexis allegedly became aggressive with him. The media can add or subtract what they want in this story, but the bottom line is that Alexis King was murdered because of her gender identity. Transgender individuals are targeted because of the way they live their lives in this world. Thus, transgender violence is a reproductive justice issue. Human beings have the right to live without violence.
Several articles from the Human Rights Declaration tie into the issue around transgender violence:
Article 1 — All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights
Article 3 — All human beings deserve right to life, liberty and security of person
Article 5 — No one shall be subjected to torture, or to inhumane or degrading treatment or punishment
We translate the above articles to mean that all human beings deserve full autonomy over the bodies they live in. This is what reproductive justice is—the ability to make the best decisions for you as you see fit. This is a human right. Life is not cookie cutter. We have unique goals, experiences and desires which determine how we move and operate in this world. Denying certain individuals these rights just because we don't understand or fail to respect their decisions is an injustice.
"Reproductive Justice is the complete physical, mental, spiritual, political, economic, and social well-being of women and girls, and will be achieved when women and girls have the economic, social, and political power and resources to make healthy decisions about our bodies, sexuality, and reproduction for ourselves, our families, and our communities in all areas of our lives."
Transgender individuals deserve to live in the world without the threat of murder because they live the gender identity they connect to. It is in this ideology that we, as a society, should not only believe but fight for the basic rights for all human beings. The threat of violence and murder are injustices that are ignored. We as a society have to do better. We must do better.
As Professor Roberts states: " … My vision of liberty seeks to ensure that dispossessed and disempowered groups share the means to be self-determining and valued members of society.
2015
Bri Golec
Penny Proud
Taja Dejeus
Yazmin Vash Payne
Ty Underwood
Lamia Beard
Every November there is the "International Transgender Day of Remembrance." As well, in March of every year there is the "International Transgender Day of Visibility."
Educate yourself and others around you.
Gaylon B. Alcaraz is the former Executive Director of the Chicago Abortion Fund, a community organizer and staunch reproductive justice advocate. You can follow her on twitter @gaylonalcaraz and contact her at gabtalks@gmail.com .
