David Hogg, a gun control advocate and survivor of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting, has consistently used his platform to raise awareness on topics such as gun control, racial inequality, and LGBTQ+ issues. Earlier this month, Hogg attended the US Conference on AIDS and spoke about the connection between gun violence and the transgender community.
At the event, Hogg held up a fan onstage that was styled with the trans flag and had the words “End Trans Gun Violence” written across the front. His action was meant to highlight the high number of trans people, particularly trans women, who are murdered with guns in the United states. According to reports, 2017 was the deadliest year on record for trans women in the US with a total of 28 victims.
When he took the stage, David Hogg said:
“We’re more upset about a pair of shoes than gun violence… or HIV/AIDS. Don’t let politicians divide us. Don’t let our labels divide us. No matter the size of your platform, speak up and then be willing to hand the mic to others.”
In a string of tweets, Hogg brings up that one of the biggest issues the trans community deals with when it comes to gun violence is that often times, transgender people are misgendered by law enforcement, the media, and even family. The media previously reported a transgender murder that took weeks to be labeled as such because they had used the victims dead name.
Murders are all too common in the transgender community and the average life expectancy for a transgender woman of color is around 30 years old.
I admire David Hogg’s courage
I admire David Hogg’s courage and his strong message, however, critics see him as only wanting his 15 minutes of fame. David, stick to gun control and getting young people registered to vote.