Black trans
woman Keeva Scatter, 34, was shot to death in Baton Rouge, La., October
15, TransGriot reports. Her body was found just a block away
from her home. Local media deadnamed and misgendered her at the time. Little
other information is available.
“Although
little is known publicly about Keeva Scatter, we will make sure to honor her
memory,” Tori Cooper, the Human Rights Campaign’s director of community
engagement for its Transgender Justice Initiative, said in a press release. “The epidemic of violence against
transgender and gender-nonconforming people stole over 50 lives in 2021, and
those are just the stories that we know of. The majority of cases were like
Keeva’s, Black trans women, often victims of gun violence. We must work to
create a society where Black trans lives are valued and are not cut short.”
The previous
record for violent deaths of trans Americans was 44, set in 2020. Activists and media have been keeping
track of these deaths for about nine years.
Much of the
violence against trans Americans involves guns. More than 10,000 hate crimes in
the U.S. each year involve a firearm, which equates to more than 28 each day,
according to a 2020 report from HRC, Everytown for Gun Safety Support Fund,
Giffords Law Center, and Equality Florida.
The Baton
Rouge Police Department is continuing to investigate Scatter’s death. Those
with information are urged to contact the Violent Crimes Unit at (225) 389-4869
or Crime Stoppers at (225) 344-7867.
SOURCE: ADVOCATE
No comments:
Post a Comment