Researcher advises tracking transgender homicides

More research should be pursued about violence against transgender individuals, especially among young and Black or Latina transfeminine women, according to a recent study completed by Dr. Alexis Dinno, Sc.D., M.P.H., M.E.M., professor and researcher in the Oregon Health Sciences University-Portland State University School of Public Health.

Homicide rates among transgender individuals are essentially invisible, given that US public health systems don't track such deaths by transgender identity.

While the transgender population overall appears to have much lower homicide rates than the cisgender population in the U.S., this data is misleading. Coroners' reports and death certificates give no indication of a deceased's status as transgender versus cisgender at time of death. As a result, public health systems should track violence against transgender individuals in their systems and reporting.

Dr. Dinno studied homicide rates for transgender residents and transfeminine, Black, Latin@, and young (aged 15-34 years) subpopulations during the period 2010 to 2014 using Transgender Day of Remembrance and National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs transgender homicide data. Using a sensitivity analysis, she concluded that anti violence public health programs should identify young and Black or Latina transfeminine women as an especially vulnerable population.