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The wave of anti-trans violence in the US has continued into May, with 49-year-old Keri Washington becoming the 20th trans person to have been killed in the country this year. According to Advocate, Washington, a black trans woman, was found dead behind an apartment building in Clearwater, Florida on May 1. Although the cause of her death has not been announced, police have identified a suspect who has been brought into custody.
Washington was the 4th trans woman of colour to have been killed within the space of 10 days in the US. Tiffany Thomas, Iris Santos and Natalia ‘Smüt’ Lopez were all killed within the last week of April. Following the death of Washington, Tori Cooper, the Human Rights Campaign’s director of community engagement for the Transgender Justice Initiative, said: “Our community is yet again in mourning as a result of senseless acts of violence against transgender and gender non-conforming people.”
She continued: “We urge everyone to end the stigma against transgender people, and to destroy the roots of transphobia and racism that fuel this violence.” 2020 was the deadliest year on record for trans Americans with 44 recorded deaths. The majority of victims were black trans women.
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