Virtual event to explore intersection of gun violence and Ohio’s trans community

By Shane Beneke, Moms Demand Action

Ohio Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense will be hosting “Disarming Hate: Allyship & Advocacy for the Transgender Community,” a virtual event on June 12 to explore the intersection of gun violence in the trans and LGBTQ+ communities. Panelists include:

• Peren Tiemann (any pronouns), Students Demand Action Group Lead at Miami University
• Venus Harvey (any pronouns), Students Demand Action Treasurer at Miami University
• Laura Robertson-Boyd (she/her), mom of two transgender young adults and Ohio Moms Demand Action Data Co-Lead.

“Fostering an atmosphere of support is crucial to protecting this community: mentally, emotionally, and physically. With increased attacks against the transgender community at the legislative, school district, and social levels, trans folks are experiencing greater risk of both harm from others and self-harm” said Ohio Moms Demand Action Chapter Lead, Kristine Woodworth.

LGBTQ+ people are disproportionately impacted by gun violence. A 2020 report from the gun safety advocacy group Everytown for Gun Safety underscores the effects gun violence has on LGBTQ+ lives:

• On an average day there are 69 hate crimes with a firearm, accounting for 4% of all hate crimes.
• LGBTQ+ youth are also more likely than non-LGBTQ+ youth to experience bias-motivated violence that involves weapons during childhood and adolescence. While 6% of non-LGBTQ youth have been threatened or injured with a weapon on school property, 17% of LGBTQ youth, 29% of transgender youth, and 30% of questioning youth had experienced these offenses.
• Studies show that LGBTQ+ people—especially LGBTQ+ youth—are at a higher risk of contemplating and attempting suicide. Access to a firearm triples the risk of suicide death.
• Transgender and gender nonconforming (GNC) people are uniquely impacted by gun violence. An analysis of Everytown’s Transgender Homicide Tracker found that homicides of trans and gender-nonconforming people in the United States and Puerto Rico have been on the rise for the last several years.
• Since January 2017, there have been 221 homicides of transgender individuals in America—72% of those crimes were committed using a gun.
• More than half of transgender people responding to the 2015 U.S. Transgender Survey experienced intimate partner violence in their lifetime.

Too often, we view statistics as simple numbers, but consider what we’re watching in real time across the country. Anti-LGBTQ+ legislation continues to make its way through statehouses across the country and the rhetoric that fuels these laws often begets real-world violence. Look no further than here in Ohio, where armed Neo-Nazis protested a charity drag brunch earlier this month in Columbus.

As a gay Ohioan, I won’t lie: I’m nervous about the way things are moving politically in our state. We continue to see legislative attacks on LGBTQ+ people from our lawmakers, particularly on our trans and gender nonconforming youth. At the same time, we see lawmakers trying to make access to firearms increasingly easier. 

However, I find that action is a good remedy for anxiety, and Moms Demand Action works tirelessly to make sure all our communities can live free of gun violence.

No single solution can stop gun violence in the United States. However, there are proven gun violence prevention measures that can save lives, such as those outlined in the Everytown for Gun Safety report:

• The Disarm Hate Act (H.R. 3929 / S. 2090), which would close a dangerous loophole in federal law by prohibiting people convicted of violent hate crimes from accessing or acquiring guns.
• Extreme Risk Protection Orders (ERPOs) would disrupt dangerous individuals’ access to guns. These laws need to be enacted, available, and implemented across all 50 states. ERPOs empower law enforcement, among others, to petition a civil court for an order to temporarily remove firearms from and block the future purchase of firearms by a person deemed a danger to themselves or others.
• Create federal offices of Domestic Terrorism within the Department of Justice (DOJ), Department of Homeland Security (DHS), and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to formally establish a coordinated response to the threat of white supremacists and domestic violent extremist groups that target marginalized communities. 

Please join us on June 12 to learn more about how you can support the movement to end gun violence. 🔥

Ignite Action

• Attend Allyship & Advocacy for the Transgender Community, a virtual event to be held Monday, June 12 at 7pm.