PETITION CLOSED

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Protect Trans Women in Puerto Rico!
  1. Signatures
    8 out of 100,000
    Petitioning
    1. Governor of Puerto Rico (+ 3 others)
      Petitioning
      close
      • Governor of Puerto Rico (Hon. Luis G. Fortuño)
      • U.S. Dept of Justice, Civil Rights Division (Assistant Attorney General Thomas E. Perez)
      • Puerto Rico's Resident Commissioner in Washington (Hon. Pedro R. Pierluisi)
      • Superintendent of the Puerto Rican Police Force (Major General Emilio Díaz Colón)
  2. Created By
    NFN Scout
    Lincoln, RI
About this Petition Petition Letter Petition Updates

On the eve of Trans Day of Remembrance, I see that Puerto Rico is the invisible center of transgender violence in the U.S. Six trans women have died there in the last year, eight more have been beaten and left for dead. Yet, because the local amazing organizers have so few resources, most of the TDOR lists don't even record these tragic deaths. The local group, Transexuals and Transgenders on the Move, has decried the fact that none of these murders are being classified as hate crimes. Further, they feel that requiring cultural competency training of all police and justice personnel will be a major step towards creating a safer environment for all LGBTT people in Puerto Rico, most especially the most vulnerable people, trans women related to the sex work industry. In honor of my friend Sophia, the spokewoman who is doing such amazing work organizing the local trans women around health and safety issues, please stand up with me and demand that Puerto Rico government take steps to protect their trans women and all LGBTT people immediately!

For more information, see the blog post here: http://lgbthealthequity.wordpress.com/2011/11/18/trans-murders-severely-undercounted-in-puerto-rico-community-health-advocates-call-for-immediate-changes-to-honor-transgender-day-of-remembrance-on-1120/

Why People Are Signing
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Protect Trans Women in Puerto Rico

Greetings,

As we mark 2011 Trans Day of Remembrance, I am upset to hear that there were six or possibly seven murders of trans women in Puerto Rico in the last year. Local organizers report that eight more woman were beaten and left for dead. This is almost as many murders on a single island as have been recorded in the rest of the U.S. for that same period.

Please act now to stop this epidemic of violence against lesbian, gay, bisexual and most especially, transsexual and transgender people in Puerto Rico.

Please immediately classify the murders of all LGBTT people as hate crimes, unless there is evidence otherwise.

Please also require that every member of the police force and the local Department of Justice receive mandatory LGBTT cultural competency training, with special emphasis on how to protect the safety of trans women.

Sincerely,

[Your name]

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