22-Year-Old Trans Woman Maria Jose Rivera Found Dead in Texas Home in Alleged Murder-Suicide – A young transgender woman, Maria Jose Rivera Rivera, was found dead in her Houston home in an alleged murder-suicide by her partner. According to local news sources, her body may have been undiscovered for up to three days. Rivera, originally from El Salvador, is believed to be the sixth transgender person to be killed in the US this year. Her immigration lawyer, Cristian Sanchez, stated that all evidence points to her partner as the perpetrator, but the cause of death has not yet been confirmed. The tragedy highlights the vulnerability of trans immigrants who face marginalization and oppression.
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Maria Jose Rivera Trans Woman Found Dead in Texas Home
Tragic discovery
The 22-year-old trans woman, Maria Jose Rivera Rivera, was found dead in her Houston home on 21 January, after reportedly being undiscovered for up to three days. The young woman’s death is believed to be an alleged murder-suicide at the hands of her partner.
Vulnerability of trans immigrants
Rivera’s immigration lawyer, Cristian Sanchez, released a statement to the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), stating that all evidence indicates that Rivera was killed by her partner. He also mentioned that transgender people who are immigrants suffer from two levels of oppression and marginalization from society, making them especially vulnerable to harm.
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Transgender violence in the US
Maria Jose Rivera Rivera is reportedly the sixth transgender person to die by violence in the US this year. However, many more cases go unreported, with trans and non-binary people being deadnamed and misgendered after death. Tori Cooper, director of community engagement for HRC’s Transgender Justice Initiative, has spoken out about the tragedy, stating that “transgender and non-binary people deserve a society that values their lives.”
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International crisis
The Trans Murder Monitoring project by Transgender Europe (TGEU) reported that at least 327 trans and gender-diverse people were killed across the world between 1 October, 2021, and 30 September, 2022, just for being themselves. Latin America and the Caribbean had the most murder cases at 222, with Brazil reporting the highest number of murders at 96. Mexico reported 56 murders, while the US reported 51, more than the entire continent of Asia. This alarming trend highlights the ongoing crisis of violence against trans and gender-diverse individuals globally.
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