The Tennessee chapters of Moms Demand Action and Students Demand Action, both part of Everytown for Gun Safety’s grassroots networks, released the following statement in response to the death of Kitty Monroe, a Black transgender woman, who was shot and killed in Cordova, Tennessee last Wednesday. Initial reports suggest the shooting was a domestic violence incident.
“Our hearts are with Kitty’s loved ones as they grieve a beautiful life that was tragically cut short,” said Kat McRitchie, a volunteer with the Tennessee chapter of Moms Demand Action. “Kitty’s death serves as a reminder of the deadly convergence of domestic violence and gun violence that plagues women and the trans community across the country. It highlights the eminent need for stronger gun safety laws in Tennessee.”
Kitty’s death is at least the 19th fatal shooting of a transgender or gender non-conforming person in 2022 in the United States and Puerto Rico. It’s likely there have been more deaths that have gone unreported or victims who have been misgendered.
2021 was the deadliest year on record for trans and gender non-conforming people in the U.S., and transgender women of color were disproportionately impacted by the violence. Below are trends from 2017 to 2021 that researchers fear will continue in 2022:
- There was an 93% increase in incidents of tracked transgender homicides from 2017 to 2021 (from 29 incidents in 2017 to 56 incidents in 2021).
- Guns are the most frequently used weapon in the murder of trans people. Nearly three-fourths of trans people killed in America were killed with a gun. This violence is not evenly spread throughout the US.
- Black, American Indian/Alaska Native, and Hispanic women are victims of homicide at the highest rates. 73% of gun homicides of transgender and gender-nonconforming people were of Black trans women.
- A growing body of research suggests LGBTQ+ populations experience intimate partner violence at higher rates than their straight counterparts. A recent report from the Bureau of Justice Statistics found that domestic violence was eight times as high among bisexual persons and more than twice as high among lesbian or gay persons as it was among straight persons. Additionally, a national survey by the National Center for Transgender Equality found that 54% of transgender adults have experienced some form of intimate partner violence in their lifetime.
Everytown for Gun Safety Support Fund has tracked homicides of transgender and gender non-conforming people in the U.S. since 2017. In addition to breaking down gun violence to the state- and county-level, the platform includes a database of known trans or gender non-conforming homicide victims in the United States.