117 HRES 814 IH: Supporting the goals and principles of Transgender Day of Remembrance of memorializing the lives lost this year to antitransgender violence.
U.S. House of Representatives
2021-11-18
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IV
117th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. RES. 814
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
November 18, 2021
Ms. Newman (for herself, Ms. Wexton, Ms. Jayapal, Ms. Schakowsky, Ms. Tlaib, Mr. Quigley, Ms. Wild, Mr. Higgins of New York, Mr. Payne, Mr. Moulton, Mr. Espaillat, Ms. Jacobs of California, Ms. Norton, Ms. Dean, Ms. Pressley, Ms. Bonamici, Mr. Pallone, Mr. Auchincloss, Mr. Danny K. Davis of Illinois, Mrs. Carolyn B. Maloney of New York, Mr. Grijalva, Mr. Swalwell, Mr. Cicilline, Mr. Gomez, Mr. Crist, Mrs. Watson Coleman, Ms. Davids of Kansas, Mr. Khanna, Ms. Meng, Mr. Bowman, Ms. Leger Fernandez, Mr. Takano, Mr. Torres of New York, Mr. Yarmuth, Mr. Pocan, Mr. Evans, Mr. Pappas, Mr. Larson of Connecticut, Mr. Neguse, Ms. Sánchez, Ms. Scanlon, Mr. Kahele, Mr. Aguilar, Mr. Trone, Mr. Sean Patrick Maloney of New York, Mr. Jones, Mr. Nadler, Mr. Gallego, Mr. Tonko, Ms. Williams of Georgia, Mr. Lynch, Mr. Malinowski, Mr. Kildee, Ms. Lee of California, Ms. DelBene, Mr. Welch, Ms. Adams, Mr. Doggett, Mr. Levin of Michigan, Mr. Keating, Mr. García of Illinois, Ms. Clark of Massachusetts, Ms. McCollum, and Mr. Carson) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary
RESOLUTION
Supporting the goals and principles of Transgender Day of Remembrance of memorializing the lives lost this year to antitransgender violence.
Whereas Transgender Day of Remembrance was created following the 1998 killing of Rita Hester, a transgender woman of color, whose murder has yet to be solved;
Whereas the following year on November 20, 1999, Gwendolyn Ann Smith created the first Transgender Day of Remembrance in honor of Rita Hester and other transgender people whose lives were lost due to violence;
Whereas Transgender Day of Remembrance 2021 honors the memory of those lives tragically lost in acts of antitransgender violence between October 1, 2020, and September 30, 2021;
Whereas the United States is currently experiencing an epidemic of violence against transgender Americans;
Whereas 2021 is officially the deadliest year on record for hateful violence against transgender Americans including undocumented transgender immigrants;
Whereas at least 47 transgender or gender nonconforming people were violently killed in the United States in 2021, a number many believe to be much higher due to the prevalence of underreporting or misreporting violence against this community;
Whereas the lives of Felycya Harris, Brooklyn Deshuna, Sara Blackwood, Angel Unique, Skylar Heath, Yunieski Carey Herrera, Asia Jynaé Foster, Chae’Meshia Simms, Kimberly Fial, Jaheim Pugh Jaheim Barbie, Courtney “Eshay” Key, Alexandria Winchester, Tyianna Alexander, Samuel Edmund Damián Valentín, Bianca “Muffin” Bankz, Dominique Jackson, Fifty Bandz, Alexus Braxton, Chyna Carrillo, Jeffrey “JJ” Bright and Jasmine Cannady (siblings), Jenna Franks, Diamond Kyree Sanders, Rayanna Pardo, Jaida Peterson, Dominique Lucious, Remy Fennell, Tiara Banks, Natalia Smut, Iris Santos, Tiffany Thomas, Keri Washington, Jahaira DeAlto, Whispering Wind Bear Spirit, Sophie Vásquez, Danika “Danny” Henson, Serenity Hollis, Oliver “Ollie” Taylor, Thomas Hardin, Poe Black, EJ Boykin, Aidelen Evans, Taya Ashton, Shai Vanderpump, Tierramarie Lewis, Miss CoCo, Pooh Johnson, Disaya Monaee, Briana Hamilton, and Kiér Laprí Kartier were needlessly ended at the hands of transphobic violence between October 1, 2020, and September 30, 2021;
Whereas the lives of Mel Groves, Royal Poetical Starz, Zoella “Zoey” Rose Martinez, Jo Acker, Jessi Hart, Rikkey Outumuro, Jenny De Leon, Marquiisha Lawrence, and Angel Naira were needlessly ended at the hands of transphobic violence since October 1, 2021;
Whereas at least 375 transgender or gender nonconforming people have been murdered worldwide in 2021, an increase of 7 percent from the 2020 update, according to the Trans Murder Monitoring Project;
Whereas violence against transgender Americans disproportionately targets transgender women of color;
Whereas the COVID–19 global health pandemic has had a disproportionate impact on transgender Americans;
Whereas transgender Americans face barriers to health care, such as lack of health insurance, stigma and discrimination, and higher rates of unemployment;
Whereas transgender people disproportionately suffer from higher rates of homelessness, with reports suggesting as many as one-third of transgender people and one-half of transgender people who are Black, Middle Eastern, multiracial, or undocumented have experienced homelessness;
Whereas almost half of all transgender people in the United States will attempt suicide at 1 point in their lifetimes, a rate that is 8 times higher than the rest of the United States population;
Whereas asylum seekers and refugees who are transgender experience disproportionate rates of violence, including sexual violence, as they seek safety;
Whereas transgender people who are housed in institutional settings, including jails, prisons, and immigration detention centers, are subject to high levels of violence and discrimination;
Whereas transgender students are significantly more likely to experience bullying or harassment at school due to their gender identity;
Whereas understanding and addressing the challenges faced by transgender Americans is hampered by a severe lack of data;
Whereas Congress and the executive branch must act to protect and preserve the lives of all Americans, including transgender Americans, through inclusive legislation and policies that treat everyone with dignity and respect;
Whereas the transgender community has shown great resilience in the face of adversity in all aspects of their lives, including housing, education, employment, and health care;
Whereas Admiral Rachel L. Levine, M.D., became the first openly transgender person confirmed by the Senate to a Federal post as Assistant Secretary of Health for the Department of Health and Human Services, and the first openly transgender 4-star officer to lead the United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, 1 of the 8 uniformed services; and
Whereas the transgender community has demonstrated tremendous leadership since the courageous actions of many community members, including Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera, at the Stonewall uprising of 1969: Now, therefore, be it
That the House of Representatives—
(1)
supports the goals and principles of Transgender Day of Remembrance of memorializing the lives lost this year to antitransgender violence;
(2)
recognizes that the alarming trends of increased violence against transgender Americans, particularly transgender women of color, are unacceptable, and that finding solutions to these issues must be a pressing priority for the United States Government;
(3)
supports efforts to study, respond to, and prevent violence against transgender people;
(4)
affirms the principle that every person is endowed with basic human rights and that our Nation’s commitment to this principle must encompass every single individual;
(5)
recognizes the bravery and resilience of the transgender community as it fights for equal dignity and respect; and
(6)
recognizes the multitude of contributions and cultural impact the transgender community has had on American society.