David J. Johns serves as the executive director of the National Black Justice Coalition, the nation’s leading civil rights organization dedicated to the empowerment of Black lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and same gender loving (LGBTQ/SGL) people, including people living with HIV/AIDS. He is known for his passion, public policy acumen and fierce advocacy for youth.

When I first heard about what happened to 24-year-old Cathalina Christina James, I was filled with a profound sense of sadness, frustration and anger.

Cathalina was found shot to death in a Jacksonville, FL hotel room in June. It took her family some time to locate her because the local police force misgendered her in the initial reports of her death. Cathalina is not the first Black transgender woman to be murdered this year and she is also not the first to be misgendered.

2018 is on track to be one of the deadliest years for the LGBTQ and same gender loving (SGL) community in our nation. In 2017 there were 52 reported anti-LGBTQ/SGL homicides, the highest death rate of these types of murders on record, according to the National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs (NCAVP). Nearly half of these tragic deaths (22) were Black transgender women, a community that continues to experience a disproportionate share of anti-LGBTQ/SGL violence.

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Stronger Together

Finally, we as a community of individuals who have endured by relying upon collective resistance cannot turn a blind eye to this epidemic of violence. What is happening in Jacksonville is not an isolated incident. In far too many communities throughout our country, members of the diverse Black community are threatened by policies and practices designed to deny us of our humanity and to profit from our pain.

We must stand together to mitigate the impact of these deleterious policies and practices. While we work collectively to hold our elected leaders accountable, let us also not forget to support those living on the margins, like our transgender brothers and sisters.Their average lifespan is only 35 years. Read more via the Grio