Washington, DC — Friday, August 21st, 2015 — DC Trans Power – a collective of transgender activists and their allies – gathered in DuPont Circle this morning during rush hour to bring attention to the recent spate of violence against transgender individuals. Just this year, there have been 20 reported murders of transgender people, the majority of which have been black trans women. In addition, there have been numerous cases of trans people being driven by harassment into committing suicide. In order to raise awareness about these and other issues faced by the transgender community, activists dropped a banner proclaiming “Stop Killing Us; Trans People Demand Respect”. “There is a war against transgender bodies”, says DC Trans Power organizer Jes Grobman (they/them pronouns). “We are killed off left and right and misgendered in death. Society tells us that our lives are worthless. We are here to stand up and demand that our voices be heard”. “There is a lot of talk of solidarity with the trans community, but now is the time that people must show it”, says Peace House DC and Zulu Nation activist and artist Sima Lee (she/her pronouns). “We are going to keep coming back until trans people can live without fear of death for being who they are.”

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