I have read so many instances where transgender women have been harassed or even killed because of their gender. I noticed since coming out as transgender and living full-time as female my level of caution when meeting new people or going to new places has increased exponentially. It’s not a question of wanting to project my “passing” as a woman, but my wanting to protect myself. I don’t want to become another statistic because someone thinks that they have the right to treat me however they see fit – whether that’s because I’m transgender or because I’m a woman.

A disproportionate number of transgender deaths are people of colour. Black transgender women are more likely to be murdered than other transgender people because of hate, discrimination and bigotry. At the time of writing there is a significant movement flooding the world. The Black Lives Matter movement demonstrates to the world that injustice towards black people shouldn’t be ignored. Individuals and even large companies have shown support for Black Lives Matter. A spin-off of this movement, Black Trans Lives Matter, has been making waves throughout communities, but this movement doesn’t have the same force regardless of the support from allies.