Remembrance, Tragedy, and Manipulation

How trans activists have leveraged lost lives in the pursuit of political agenda

Parents and concerned citizens would very much like to have reasoned and evidence based discussions about the safety and efficacy of medical and surgical interventions undertaken on children and youth who believe they are transgender. Time and time again, requests for fair and measured discussion, high quality studies, and public discussion focusing on kids and their safety and wellness have been drowned out by activists, claiming that any discussion amounts to “transphobia” and will harm transgender individuals.

Particularly in the US, where civil rights, racism, and sexual orientation are all somewhat inflammatory and notoriously difficult to talk about, the trans activists have attached gender identity to debates surrounding civil rights, thereby commissioning the sympathy and support of the well meaning public. We all want to be kind, especially to vulnerable or minority groups. We have been guilty, historically and presently, of oppression of people who deserve better from society than they experience. So it’s understandable when people are reluctant to speak in a climate charged with tension. No one wants to be characterized as hateful.

Enter the HRC, the ACLU, and multiple other national and international organizations who have strategized to empower the Transgender narrative. One of the many strategies that have been employed has been to add special days throughout the calendar year calling attention to the needs of various identities, in order to compel a compassionate response. These “holidays” are celebrated in schools across the US and promoted in media and even in packaging of products as varied as cookies and breakfast cereal. The year now seems to be full of special days to remember or commemorate members of the LGBTQIAA++ community. For example, we have Aromantic Spectrum Awareness Week, in February, followed by the International Transgender Day of Visibility in March. April brings us International Asexuality Day, followed in May by International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia & Biphobia. You can use the handy abbreviation for that one, IDAHOT. We get to celebrate Pansexual Visibility Day in May as well. Of course June is Pride month, everyone knows that, but did you know that July brings us International Non-Binary People’s Day? October is really busy, it’s not only LGBT History Month, but we also can’t forget National Coming Out Day, Spirit Day, International Pronouns Day, and Asexual Awareness Week. Now it’s November, and we’ve already celebrated Transgender Awareness Week, which brings us to the most solemn day on the LGBTQIAA++ calendar, which is the Transgender Day of Remembrance.

Transgender Day of Remembrance was founded in 1999. The official statement regarding this day reads: “The Transgender Day of Remembrance, also known as the International Transgender Day of Remembrance, has been observed annually (from it’s inception) on November 20 as a day to memorialize those who have been murdered as a result of transphobia. It is a day to draw attention to the continued violence endured by transgender people.”

The only appropriate response to murder is grief. No one deserves a violent death, and every single one of those people are mourned by their families and friends. These senseless deaths, however, deserve to be understood according to the actual events and circumstances surrounding the tragic ending of lives that had value and meaning. The Transgender Day of Remembrance fails to honor these lives in a genuine and meaningful way.

The truth is, absolutely nothing connects these deaths to “transphobia”. Most of these deaths occurred in the context of risky and violent circumstances that had nothing to do with their gender. They were murdered while engaging in prostitution. They were shot by intimate partners, or in disputes over drug deals, tax checks, or any number of tragic circumstances. The majority of these crimes have occurred in Brazil, and yet these deaths are being used to manipulate the sympathies of the general public in the US, the UK (where there have been exactly zero murders of transgender individuals in the past two years), and elsewhere by claiming that there is an epidemic of violent, hate induced murder occurring.

The HRC published a list of the 46 American transgender people who have been murdered in 2021. Here is the data that was available regarding these tragedies: I am indebted to my friend Kaeley Triller Harms for her research.

*Fifty Bandz was shot to death by boyfriend Michael Joshua Brooks, who had threatened to kill him many times before.

*Chyna Carillo was beaten to death by Juan Carter Hernandez, a boyfriend with a violent history of murdering his wife.

*Jeffrey Bright and Jasmine Canaday were trans/nonbinary identified siblings who were shot in the head by their psychotic mother who was afraid of losing them in a custody battle. She said it would be better for them not to be alive than to be removed from her custody.

*Diamond Kyree Sanders was shot to death in his apartment parking lot during a random robbery. Police arrested three perpetrators and have stated that it was a “crime of greed, no bias”.

*Jaida Peterson and Remy Fennell were both killed by Joel Brewer and Dontarius Long in hotel rooms after the men solicited sex from them.

*Natalia Smut was stabbed to death by boyfriend Elijah Segura.

*Keri Washington was killed by his domestic partner who bashed Keri’s head against a light pole.

*Jahaira D’Alto and friend Fatima Yasim were stabbed to death by Fatim’s husband while D’Alto was hosting them in his home. These were supposedly friends.

*Whispering Wind Bear Spirit was shot to death during an attempted robbery.

*Sophie Vasquez was shot to death by Pedro Silva-Renterina, an acquaintance. No motive has been released, but police determined it was not related to gender identity.

*Danika Henson was shot to death. The perpetrator is yet unknown, but family members believe it was an intimate partner.

*Thomas Hardin was shot to death by Tyler Terry, a former romantic partner.

*Taya Ashton was fatally shot by DeAllen Davonta Price, a sexual partner.

*Shai Vanderpump was shot by Daniel Smith in his apartments. There was no defined motive, but the two had been seen together at a party earlier that night.

*Zoella Rose Martinez was killed by Jacaree Rashad Hardy when Zoella confronted him about money he had fraudulently stolen from Zoella’s account.

*Jo Acker died a hero while serving as a security guard. Acker confronted an active shooter named Jacob Berquist who ultimately killed him.

*Rikki Outumurro was shot by boyfriend Cristopher Allen Gaudrua.

We would do well to tell the truth about these tragic deaths, and look into how we can reduce the risks of violent deaths for all people, find ways to help those who are entangled in domestic violence, end prostitution and the dangers involved to all women in the sex trades, and have meaningful discussions about how and why these people were harmed. This would truly honor their lives and their deaths.

Parents would like to see a Day of Visibility as well. We would like a special Day to remember our children who have been harmed by reckless medical and psychological practices, influenced by activist teachers, schooled by YouTube stars, and abandoned by the media. We would like a day to talk about how our families, and our kids, are the ones who are actually vulnerable.