“It is time for a President of the United States of America to say their names.”
Elizabeth Warren listed the names of every trans women of colour killed this year in the United States in a powerful speech at the LGBTQ Presidential Forum in Iowa.
The Democratic presidential candidate was asked to tell the audience how she intends to improve LGBTQ rights for America if elected to the White House next year, to which she responded: “I’m not going to tell you. I’m going to show you.”
She then read aloud their names: “Dana Martin, Jazzaline Ware, Ashanti Carmon, Claire Legato, Muhlaysia Booker, Michelle Washington, Paris Cameron, Chynal Lindsey, Chanel Scurlock, Zoe Spears, Brooklyn Lindsey, Denali Berries Stuckey, Pebbles LaDime “Dime” Doe, Tracy Single, Bailey Reeves, Bee Love Slater and Ja’leyah-Jamar.”
“It is time for a President of the United States of America to say their names,” she said to a cheering audience.
“Donald Trump has a strategy. His strategy is to turn people against people. This strategy is as long as people turn against each other, then maybe they won’t notice. Donald Trump is robbing this country of its wealth and its dignity.”
Transgender women, in particular, face extraordinarily high levels of violence. Last year, 26 trans individuals were killed in the United States – a majority of which were black and Latina – and 25 of those were women.
19 individuals have been killed this year, 18 of which have been trans women of colour.
Throughout her campaign, Warren has pledged to overturn Tr*mp’s ban on trans individuals serving in the military, to allow gay and bisexual men to donate blood and to ban ‘conversion therapy’ across the United States.
She made a surprise appearance at RuPaul’s DragCon in New York City earlier this month and drew attention to the ongoing violence against transgender individuals in the United States.
“We need to call it out, and we need to fight back,” she continued. “Everybody should be able to go to school, to work, to get healthcare, or just walk down the street without fear of discrimination or violence. Equal means equal, period.”
After urging American residents to vote, she said: “I’m in this fight for LGBTQ+ equality. We’ve got a lot of work to do to make sure everyone is free to be who they are and to love who they love.”
Watch Elizabeth Warren’s powerful speech at the LGBTQ Presidential Forum below.
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