SoVo.com – Gwen Smith
Hate violence stats are sobering and the time has come for each of us to do something about it.
Transgender violence, particularly murder, is an epidemic. It is hardly news, as these murders happen on average every two weeks. If you haven?t heard it from me, you?ve likely heard it elsewhere.
The crimes are horrible, often beyond barbaric and more often than not, those who commit them do not serve prison sentences worthy of the crimes they commit, if they are even caught.
I?ve been tracking these murders for nine years, and while each story remains distinct, they can also be an unending litany of death, pain and sorrow. You can pick up any of these stories and wonder how you managed to be so lucky simply to be alive. You may even be lucky enough to note that you did not know the person killed.
There have been three times where I haven?t been so lucky in this regard, turning what were photos offered to me in friendship into an image worthy of an obituary and writing his or her life story while musing on e-mails from the deceased sitting in my e-mail box.