Submitted by [email protected] on Tue, 07/21/2020 – 10:11

New York, NY – July 21, 2020 – The American Psychoanalytic Association (APsaA) joins other leading national organizations such as the American Medical Association, The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, and the Human Rights Campaign in affirming that Black Trans Lives Matter. The Black Lives Matter protests and the June 2020 Pride Month celebrations highlighted racism within the LGBTQ+ community and more broadly in society directed toward transgender people, especially Black transgender women.

This includes Merci Mack, a 22-year-old Black transgender woman killed in Dallas, Texas on June 30 and Brayla Stone, a 17-year old Black transgender girl killed in Little Rock, Arkansas on June 25. Last year there were an estimated 27 transgender murders, however, the violent deaths of trans people are likely undercounted, because many cases go unreported or many victims are mis-gendered. Reports show that 91 percent of reported murders of trans and gender non-conforming people in 2019 were Black, representing a toxic mixture of transphobia, racism, and misogyny.

Transgender women who are black, brown and/or indigenous are killed at such a high frequency that these hate crimes have been declared an epidemic by the American Medical Association. Advocacy groups found that violence against transgender people has increased since 2017 when governmental policies singling out trans people began to be enacted by the White House. Several policies have implicitly contributed to hate-fueled attacks against Black transgender women, including the reversal of previous protections for transgender students, a re-imposed ban on trans people serving in the military, elimination of regulations prohibiting discrimination against patients who are transgender, and efforts to define gender as an immutable trait assigned at birth that aim to define transgender people out of legal existence.

“As our country confronts the racial inequity and violence that Black people have suffered since before our country’s inception, our failure to speak out against sexual and race-based violence against Black trans women also grants legitimacy to all forms of all racial hatred and acts of violence. Understanding that the pervasiveness of racism, sexism and transphobia affects us all can move us closer to meaningful change,” said William Glover, President of the American Psychoanalytic Association

About the American Psychoanalytic Association: APsaA is the oldest and largest professional organization for psychoanalysts in North America, representing 3,000 members, 33 approved training institutes, and 39 affiliate societies throughout the United States.

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Media Contact:
Wylie Tene
American Psychoanalytic Association
Director of Public Affairs
Tags:
psychoanalysis
psychotherapy
blacklivesmatter
blacktranslivesmatter
LGBTQ
racism
sexism
mental health