Beaten, Jailed, Tortured, Killed

Violence against LGBTQ people rises in the US and internationally

Spencer Deehring and Tristan Perry were severely beaten in Austin, TX Saturday night by a group of men who taunted them for being gay, according to local reporting

Violence against LGBTQ people in the United States and around the world is rising. Tragically, fueled in part by right-wing politics and political leaders, violence against members of many minority groups is mounting, and intersections of persecution are obvious.

Among LGBTQ communities, transgender people experience violence at the highest rates. According to Transequality.org, one in four transgender people in the US have been physically assaulted because of their gender expression. Among transgender people, women of color are the most vulnerable.

Here’s a very partial list of recent violence and persecution —

Jacksonville, Florida — According to reporting by the ACLU, four Black transgender women have been shot in the last six months. Three of them were killed.

Juazeiro do Norte, Brazil — Based on my personal contacts, violence against LGBTQ people has become so normalized since the presidential election of outspoken homophobe Jair Bolsonaro, that high schools and universities are becoming unsafe for LGBTQ youth. Youth advocates in Juazeiro tell me that “many” formerly open trans and gay teens have quit school due to violent attacks. One 16 year old told me in a personal…