1. United States
2. Mich.
3. Letter

I need you to oppose any legislation or policy that scapegoats transgender people as perpetrators of sexual violence. The facts show the opposite: trans and gender-nonconforming people are disproportionately likely to face sexual violence, and they have been leading the fight against it for over 150 years. Frances Thompson, a Black transgender woman, testified before Congress in 1866 about being raped during the Memphis Massacre. Her testimony helped pass the 14th Amendment. Dee Deirdre Farmer won a unanimous Supreme Court ruling in 1994 after being raped in a federal penitentiary, establishing that violent assault is not "part of the penalty" for breaking the law. Her case has been cited tens of thousands of times. Sylvia Rivera co-founded Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries and demanded "the immediate end of all police harassment" and "the right to self-determination over the use of our bodies." Lorena Borjas spent decades helping trans Latina trafficking survivors in New York connect with lawyers and escape violence. Trans people are survivors, advocates, and protectors. Policies that target them make our communities less safe. Stand with the evidence and with the people who have always fought sexual violence. https://truthout.org/articles/for-decades-trans-people-have-helped-lead-the-fight-against-sexual-violence/