The Reality of Oppression Faced by Transgender Individuals

According to studies by the Human Rights Campaign, twenty-six transgender people were murdered in the United States of America in 2018 due to the choice of their gender identity. Twenty-six is just the bare minimum number of deaths since multiple cases go unreported. This trend continued in the following years, where the number increased to thirty-two in 2024, and the highest was a staggering sixty deaths in 2021. Aggregated, a total of 263 victims were reported to have been shot or subjected to fatal sexual violence. Disturbingly, many were killed by someone they knew and trusted.

The trends in these statistics, although taken from America, are not specific only to America: Transgender individuals of all countries face brutality in their lives, largely fuelled by prejudice against them. However, violence contravenes human rights and remains a grave concern, especially against transgender individuals just because of their identity, something that does not justify being a reason for such cruelty. This irrational justification leads to transgender individuals having a fourfold likelihood of having experienced rapes, sexual assaults, and aggravated or simple assaults when compared to cisgender individuals.

As established above, the primary cause of the violence endured by transgender individuals is the transphobia planted in our society. However, another major factor is the high proportion of transpeople turning to sex work, which leads to sexual harassment and contracting sexually transmitted diseases like HIV. Ultimately, even joining prostitution is a consequence of discrimination. Workplace exclusion and employers' reluctance to hire transgender individuals leave them with no other career options.

To ensure that transgender people can live with equality, safety, and dignity, this cycle of violence and discrimination must be broken.