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More than 350 transgender and gender-diverse individuals were killed globally in the past year, according to a “sobering” report released by the Trans Murder Monitoring project ahead of Trans Day of Remembrance, observed on 20 November.

The annual report from Transgender Europe and Central Asia (TGEU) revealed that between 1 October 2023 and 30 September 2024, 350 trans people lost their lives—a rise from 321 recorded during the previous year. This figure marks one of the highest death tolls since the project’s inception in 2008.

The report shed light on intersecting issues of racism, xenophobia, and stigma against sex workers. A significant 93 per cent of victims were Black trans people or trans people of colour, and 46 per cent were transgender sex workers.

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TGEU attributed this increase to targeted efforts by anti-gender and anti-rights movements, which frequently dehumanise and scapegoat trans people. A spokesperson noted a troubling rise in hate speech and hate crimes perpetuated both online and offline, particularly by political figures, religious leaders, and other public personalities.

“This rise is enabled by the lack of strong hate-crime legislation that protects gender identity and expression, alongside the unchecked spread of disinformation by social media platforms,” the spokesperson explained.

Since the monitoring project began, more than 5,000 trans murders have been documented. However, TGEU cautioned that this figure likely underrepresents the true scale of violence, as many incidents go unreported or victims are misgendered.

Ymania Brown, TGEU’s executive director, emphasised the urgent need for action: “This year, we confront the sobering milestone of 5,000 documented murders since the project’s start. Trans lives remain at far greater risk than others. States must commit to immediate action to counter anti-trans hate speech and attacks. Our lives depend on it.”

Among the victims not yet included in this year’s statistics was Quanesha “Cocoa” Shantel, a Black trans woman and drag performer from North Carolina. Shantel, described by loved ones as “radiant” and “full of joy,” was recently enrolled in nursing school. Her death marked the 30th killing of a trans or gender-diverse person in the United States this year, according to the Human Rights Campaign (HRC).

HRC’s Tori Cooper urged for systemic change, stating: “Hateful stereotypes, rhetoric, and legislation fuel violence against transgender people. We must demand better from our elected officials and each other.”

A 31-year-old man has been charged with first-degree murder in connection with Shantel’s death.

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