(Trends Wide) — President Joe Biden signaled International Transgender Remembrance Day in a statement Saturday, paying tribute to “those we lost in the deadliest year on record for transgender Americans.”
In a statement shared with Trends Wide, Biden also recalled “the countless transgender people, disproportionately black and brown transgender women and girls, who face brutal violence, discrimination and harassment.”
On Friday, the White House marked the day with a vigil in the White House Diplomatic Room hosted by Doug Emhoff, husband of US Vice President Kamala Harris.
International Transgender Memory Day culminates Transgender Awareness Week and commemorates victims of violence across the country. Earlier this month, the Human Rights Campaign declared 2021 the deadliest year on record for transgender and non-binary people, with at least 45 transgender or gender non-conforming people killed.
In a tweet Marking that solemn milestone, White House Senior Deputy Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre called the news “unacceptable” and wrote: “Our hearts go out to all who knew and loved the 45 people who have been murdered this year. The march to end this epidemic of violence continues. “
In his statement, Biden asked the Senate to pass the Equality Act, which amends the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to protect people from being discriminated against on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity, “so that all people can live free from fear and discrimination. ” The bill was approved by the House in March, but has stalled in the Senate.
“Despite our progress in strengthening the civil rights of LGBTQI + Americans, too many transgender people still live in fear and face systemic barriers to freedom and equality,” Biden wrote.
The government also released a report Saturday from the first Interagency Task Force on Security, Opportunity, and Inclusion for Transgender and Gender-Diverse People, which is comprised of representatives from the U.S. Agency for International Development, the Departments of State, Justice , Housing and Urban Development, Health and Human Services, Education, Homeland Security, Labor, Interior, and Veterans Affairs, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, and the US Interagency Council on the Homeless.
According to the report, shared Friday with Trends Wide, violence against transgender Americans is the direct result of “systemic stigma and hatred against transgender people, widespread discrimination, disproportionate criminalization, and the marginalization and exclusion of gender minorities.” , with violence against transgender communities “accentuated today due to a historic cap in legislation targeting transgender people for discriminatory and unfair treatment.”
The administration of President Barack Obama regularly recognized International Transgender Memory Day and met with activists to discuss violence against the community. That practice did not continue under President Donald Trump.
Biden’s statement is the latest in a series of government moves to show support for LGBTQ + Americans, including reversing his predecessor’s ban on transgender Americans in the military, reinstating a special commissioner for rights. LGBTQ after the position expired under Trump and the issuance of the first presidential proclamation marking Transgender Visibility Day in March.
The president received praise from LGBTQ advocates for his comments pledging support for transgender Americans during his first address to a joint session of Congress in April, while First Lady Jill Biden invited Stella Keating – a transgender advocate who testified before Congress in support of the Equality Act – as your virtual guest for the speech.
While violence against transgender Americans is at an all-time high, 2021 has also marked a record year for anti-transgender legislation, with state legislatures introducing 100 bills in 33 states aimed at curbing people’s rights. transgender.
Most of the bills would affect transgender youth, a group that researchers and medical professionals warn is already susceptible to high rates of suicide and depression.
“To ensure that our government protects the civil rights of transgender Americans, I tasked my team with coordinating across the federal government to address the epidemic of violence and promote equality for transgender people. I continue to call on state leaders and legislators to fight the proliferation of discriminatory state legislation targeting transgender people, especially transgender children, “Biden wrote in Saturday’s statement.
“Today we remember. Tomorrow, and every day, we must continue to act,” he added.
