From #wejustneedtopee to #blacktranslivesmatter: Examining the Relationship between State Sanctioned Discrimination and Violence against Transgender Women

• In Event: Trans* Populations As Victims and Targets of Public Policy

Abstract

This paper explores a broad range of violence against transgender women – from the state control of trans bodies to the recent proliferation in transphobic murders. Using an intersectional lens, we consider the relationship between state sanctioned discrimination like North Carolina’s HB2 (“the bathroom law”) and the recent uptick in the brutal murders of transgender women, especially women of color. Given the feminist backlash and racial threat rhetoric that characterizes the current political landscape in the United States, an exploration into this link is crucial to understanding the extreme threats facing transgender women as well as future directions for Queer criminological inquiry.

Authors

• Emily Lenning, Fayetteville State University

• Sarah Brightman, Fayetteville State University

• Carrie Buist, Grand Valley State University