Murder of transgender people hits record high in the US

The number of murders in the transgender community has reached a historic high in the United States, with at least 15 trans people murdered this year alone.

Activists describe the spate of violence carried out against transgender people – particularly transgender women of colour – as an epidemic.

Victims include 20-year old Elisha Walker who was beaten to death last week in North Carolina, 22-year old Shade Shuler who was gunned down in Texas last month and K.C. Haggard, a 66-year-old transgender woman who has her throat slashed by a stranger as she walked home.

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Globally, there have been 1,731 reported killings of trans and gender-diverse people between 2008 and 2014, according to Transgender Europe's Trans Murder Monitoring project.

Although attitudes towards transgender people are slowly beginning to change due to high-profile celebrities like Caitlyn Jenner coming out, the trans community still faces disproportionate levels of violence, widespread discrimination and high unemployment.

"Right now we're experiencing a Dickensian time, where it's the best of times and it's the worst of times at once," transgender rights advocate Masen Davis told Time magazine.

"We're seeing a marked increase in the public awareness about transgender people and really incredible progress for trans rights, especially from a legal perspective," she said. But at the same time, levels of poverty in the trans community remain high.

Kris Hayashi, executive director of the Transgender Law Center, agrees, arguing that greater awareness of trans rights has not yet translated into widespread acceptance on the streets.

Of the deaths in the US, the vast majority were transgender women of colour. "People who are marginalised both because of their race and being transgender, it's like a double whammy," says Shannon Minter, legal director for the National Center for Lesbian Rights.

While legislation goes some way towards protecting trans people's rights, it is not enough to change society's attitudes and bring an end to the violence, says Minter.

"We all have a responsibility to stop this violence," he says, "and that means if you see a transgender person being harassed, we all have an obligation to speak up, to do something."