Many people still struggle with the word diversity and what it means. It means so much to so many different people. Diversity is the practice or quality of respecting, accepting, and involving people from a range of different social and ethnic backgrounds, different genders and sexual orientations. Consequently, it is of great importance that we highlight the violence inflicted against people who have a different form of gender identity and expression.
A number of states have seen significant spikes in violence against members of the LGBTQ+ communities. So much so, that it has led to increased concern about safety for many. Some of this violence has come in the form of organized militia espousing toxic rhetoric that encourages interpersonal violence. Current solutions on how to address this injustice has included putting pressure on law makers to implement policies and laws that would protect transgender individuals. This is an ongoing struggle and with each election cycle, we need to continue lobbying for the protections of LGBTQ+ people.
On record there are several recent incidents of violence directed against transgender people. In May of this year, in our very own capital district, Ahsid Hemmingway-Powell, a 2020 graduate of Hudson Valley Community College, was killed. Nationally, there have been several other crimes. Tyianna Alexander was shot to death in Chicago. Her Jan. 6 death was the first known violent death of a transgender or gender non-conforming person in 2021. The second was Samuel Edmund Damián Valentín, a transgender man who was shot to death on Jan. 9 in Trujillo Alto, Puerto Rico. The third victim, Bianca Bankz, a black transgender woman in her early 30s was killed in Atlanta, Georgia. Bianca, who was nicknamed “Muffin” by her close friends because of her love for blueberry muffins, was shot to death on Jan. 17. A fourth incident resulted in the death of Tiara Banks, a 24-year-old transgender woman who was killed in Chicago on April 21, 2021. Most recent was the shooting at a LGBTQ+ club in Colorado Springs on Nov. 19 of this year. A male suspect wearing a military-style jacket and carrying a long, AR-15 style rifle and a handgun opened fire in Club Q, killing five people and wounding 17.
These are just a few incidents of violence that have occurred in the LGBTQ+ community and we must stop these senseless acts. We must shed light on this epidemic of violence, and where we can, we should ensure victims’ lives are remembered with dignity in hopes that we can end the stigma that so many trans and gender non-conforming people face. Transgender Day of Remembrance (Nov. 20) was created with this purpose in mind.
We must make every effort to make change and reflect on how we treat each other, as well as be mindful that our colleagues and students on this campus are dealing with trauma that is often activated by every violent incident that occurs. Continuous advocacy for the safety and security of transgender, nonbinary, and gender nonconforming people is called for. It must be a priority and a major step to take if we want to see change in our world and make it a better place for all. This must include legal rights and the recognition of the humanity of transgender people.
In service,
Ainsley Thomas
Chief Diversity Officer