Specific examples of transgender people misgendered and misidentified in media have been well-documented; however, little work explores how media depicts the murder of transgender people. The current work examines media coverage of the 23 transgender women of color murdered in 2016. Utilizing content analysis, we identified five themes including the brutality of these murders, the trivialization of the murders, misgendering the victims, the emotional toll on significant others, and resiliency among the transgender community. In general, media reports of deaths of transgender women of color in 2016 reveal the saliency of stigmatization. Did these lives matter?

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In 2012 PREA (Prison Rape Elimination Act) added specific guidelines to protections already enacted to reduce prison rape. These new protections were specific to trans and intersex folx currently in prison. Although these are federal “mandatory guidelines,” the enforcement of these standards varies between facilities. Drawing from a subsample of 9 trans participants (from a broader interview study) who experienced incarceration while identifying as trans, I focus primarily on the narrative of Naomi, a Black trans woman, who experienced confinement in the state of Virginia. This chapter will be an analysis of current PREA standards and their effects on trans folx, the action/inaction of facilities, and policy suggestions concerning trans inmates through a case study of Naomi’s experience in addition to the narratives of 8 other participants from a broader interview study of that focuses on trans people’s experiences with the criminal legal system (police, courts, and corrections). This chapters also incorporates current literature, present guidelines regarding trans inmates, and other issues concerning trans inmates. These incidents will serve as a representation of trans life behind bars as both positive and negative experiences occurring within the duality of laws on the book and laws in (in)action.

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