Social senator: Do not accept trans-hostile violence
Berlin's Senator for Social Affairs Cansel Kızıltepe has called for trans hostility not to be tolerated. "Trans-hostile violence does not just begin with bodily harm," the SPD politician said on Friday with a view to the International Day of Remembrance for the Victims of Trans-Hostility on Monday. "When faced with disparagement in everyday conversations or hate speech on social media, each and every one of us can decide to show solidarity instead of looking away," said the senator, who is also responsible for the areas of integration, diversity and anti-discrimination in the black-red Senate. "The Transgender Day of Remembrance is a reminder to take decisive action against trans-hostile violence."
Transgender people are exposed to violence in public spaces or in partnerships with above-average frequency. This year, the Senate has therefore set up a counseling service for trans, intersex and non-binary people affected by violence, Kiziltepe continued.
The International Transgender Day of Remembrance was established in 1999 by the US activist Gwendolyn Ann Smith to commemorate the murder of the African-American trans woman Rita Hester. Since then, it has drawn attention to anti-trans violence worldwide every year on November 20.
The Senate's new counseling service aims to support trans, intersex, and non-binary individuals who have experienced violence. In light of this, it's crucial for the Senate's Social Affairs Senator, Cansel Kızıltepe, to emphasize to the Senate's members, that they should stand against trans-hostile discrimination in Senate proceedings within the Senate's structure itself, as some forms of trans-hostile crime can manifest within institutional settings.
Source: www.dpa.com
