This November 20th, 2020, the International Trans Fund (ITF) remembers and honors the lives of trans and gender-diverse people who have been murdered. The ITF’s mission is to mobilize sustainable resources for strong, trans-led movements and collective action, and to address and eliminate funding gaps impacting trans groups across the globe. The ITF has disbursed $2.615 million US dollars to 105 trans-led groups in 63 countries worldwide over four grantmaking cycles.
According to the Trans Murder Monitoring (TMM) TGEU project, 350 trans and gender-diverse people across the world were murdered between October 1, 2019 and September 30, 2020. These updated results present a 6% increase in reported murders since 2019 and 3664 reported cases in 75 countries and territories worldwide between January 1, 2008 and September 30, 2020. These shocking figures illustrate the extremely high rates of violence that trans and gender-diverse people face every day.
In addition to direct violence, trans people also regularly experience stigmatization, exclusion and discrimination. In many countries, trans people struggle to obtain legal gender recognition and are forced to undergo medical procedures such as sterilization in order to be legally recognized. As a consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as growing racism and police brutality, the lives of trans and gender-diverse people, especially those most marginalized, are at even greater risk. In order to better understand the impact of COVID-19, the ITF developed a short survey that went to our grantee partners in April 2020. One of the most striking results was that 73% reported mental health challenges and the urgent need for self-care and wellness.
As the only global participatory grantmaker fund exclusively dedicated to supporting trans-led groups in all world regions, the ITF is acutely aware of the many obstacles facing trans and gender-diverse people in accessing basic survival needs. Trans-led groups are also uniquely placed to address and respond to the challenges facing their communities but often lack the resources to do so. As we commemorate the Trans Day of Remembrance and the lives lost, the ITF stands in solidarity with trans people and groups across the world and calls upon:
- Civil society to stand up and amplify their voices against all violence directed towards trans and gender-diverse people.
- Donors to increase financial support for trans-led organizations, especially for the most marginalized trans communities globally, in recognition of the chronic and pervasive underfunding of trans movements.
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