Emanuel Cleaver: “I thank the gentlewoman for her work in this area, which is desperately needed. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to speak on…”

“I thank the gentlewoman for her work in this area, which is desperately needed. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to speak on today's Transgender Day of Remembrance. For 20 years, November 20 has marked a solemn day in the LGBTQ-plus community. Vigils are held in communities nationwide in honor of all the transgender people who were senselessly and dementedly killed for simply being who they are. I told my transgender friends and families: Never seek to change who you are. Be exactly who you are. Transgendered women of color are especially vulnerable to violence and are 4.3 times more likely to become homicide victims than all women, according to the Human Rights Campaign. This year alone, at least 22 transgender and gender-nonconforming Americans have been killed in the United States. Ninety-one percent of them were Black women. I am sad to say that three transgender people of color were murdered in the greater Kansas City area, two in my congressional district. Brooklyn Lindsey was a 32-year-old Black transgender woman. Those who knew her say she was intelligent, had a good sense of humor, and was loved by many. By many accounts, she was outgoing and happy. She enjoyed dancing, helping others, and wanted to be a life coach. On June 25, she was found shot to death on an abandoned porch in Kansas City, Missouri. {time} 1900 Jamagio Jamar Berryman, also known as Ja'leyah Jamar, was 30 and a Black gender nonconforming person.…”