The Times podcast: Killings of transgender people in U.S. on track to top last year’s record

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Just five months into the year, the U.S. is on track to break a troubling record. Last year, 44 transgender people were killed in the U.S. and its territories. So far this year, the count is close to two dozen, according to the Human Rights Campaign. More than half the victims were black trans women. The region with the highest rate of killings is the commonwealth of Puerto Rico.

Today, we’ll speak with Marc Ramirez, a national correspondent for USA Today who covers identity and inclusion issues, about the rise in transgender violence in Puerto Rico and across the U.S. We’ll also speak to Maria José, a trans woman who heads a safe space in Puerto Rico for LGBTQ folks.

Host: Gustavo Arellano

Guests: USA Today national correspondent Marc Ramirez and House of Grace matriarch and artist Maria José

More reading:

Meet Puerto Rico’s Queer and Trans Change-Makers
Column: Trump is gone, but California is still fighting the anti-transgender hate he fed