Your Cool Uncle ItzyI've probably mentioned before that DC is the most trans city in the US. 1 in 33 residents identify as trans. And the reason for that is that DC has a lot of protections for trans people, and has for a few decades. This makes it an easy choice for trans people across the country to move here and live their authentic lives. For pride this year, I want to talk about how some of this came to be. (CW violence against a trans woman) #TransHistory #Pride
In 1995 Tyra Hunter was on her way to work as a hairdresser, when she was in a car accident. It was serious but not life threatening. When the EMTs arrived, they removed her from her car and begain treating her. They started to remove her clothes in order to access her wounds, and found she was trans. They stopped treating her, and instead started to verbally abuse her and calling her slurs. #TransHistory #Pride
Eventually they did load her into an ambulance and took her to a hospital. At the hospital the abuse continued when the surgeon in the ER refused to care for her as well. An hour after her car accident she was declared dead. An investigation into her death said that with proper medical care she had a 90% chance of survival. Tyra Hunter was murdered. #TransHistory #Pride
Her family filed suit against the ambulance and hospital (dead naming and misgendering her in the court filings), and the people and institutions that killed her were found at fault and fined millions of dollars. But it didn't stop there. Trans advocates moved to make sure this never happened again, pressuring the DC city council to pass medical protections for trans people. #TransHistory #Pride
21 years later trans people in DC don't have to worry about being denied medical care, we have housing and work protections. Current council races have issues like providing housing credit to trans people because we are disproportionately unhoused. It's not perfect, but Tyra Hunter's death moved public opinion in favor of trans protection. #TransHistory #pride
So this pride, light a candle for Tyra Hunter. Remember her name. She died an unjust death, and she deserves to be remembered. May she rest in peace #TransHistory #Pride
Ciara 💖@itzyg rest in power Tyra