Unplanned
Today is the Transgender Day of Remembrance. As usual I'm not doing myself doing anything for it such as attending a vigil. That doesn't mean it isn't an important day to have, nor that somehow the often-vicious murder of people for being who they are doesn't matter.
It is entirely possible that the reason I'm not doing more is that I don't feel vulnerable. Being a white, middle class person who is not a sex worker, I'm not as much at risk of my name appearing on next year's list of the dead as far too many others are.
As much as trans people are subject to violent revulsion in our society, too many of the dead were women of colour, and / or were sex workers for that not to play a significant factor in who is murdered. There doesn't seem much point having the Day of Remembrace without acknowledging this unless we aren't interested in improving the situation; there'd be no such bias in the dead if women of colour weren't already so marginalised in general.
Many others die from the consequences of two prevailing myths: a) that sex worker lives are worthless and b) that all trans women are sex workers. Even if you don't support the rights and freedom of sex workers for their own sake - and you should - the ways we degrade and disrespect people in that field as a society makes easier the mistreatment and murder of anyone who can be lumped in with them.
I suppose that isn't a very effective argument. I doubt there are many who hate sex workers who don't also hate trans people, so they'd be unlikely to support the one in order to incidentally benefit the other. Very disheartening when "Don't perpetuate the conditions which enable the murder of others for their job or identity" is such a difficult proposition to get people accepting.
I am fumbling with this. What am I trying to say? People die because being cis is regarded as the only legitimate, non-shameful way to exist. People die because because white people are treated as more human and deserving than any one else. People die because sex workers are degraded, criminalised and silenced.
If we keep denying each other, there will continue to be a Day of Remembrance.
