Secretary of State Rex Tillerson
recognized Monday as Transgender Day of Remembrance, a day set aside
to remember the transgender people murdered over the past year.
Transgender people “should not be
subjected to violence or discrimination,” Tiller said in a
statement.
“Transgender individuals and their
advocates, along with lesbian, gay, bisexual and intersex persons,
are facing increasing physical attacks and arbitrary arrests in many
parts of the world,” Tillerson wrote. “Often these attacks are
perpetrated by government officials, undermining the rule of law.”
“On this Transgender Day of
Remembrance, the United States remains committed to advancing the
human rights and fundamental freedoms of all persons,” Tillerson
added. “These principles are inherent in our own Constitution and
drive the diplomacy of the United States.”
According to a report issued Friday by
the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), the nation's largest LGBT rights
advocate, 25
transgender people have been murdered in the U.S. in 2017 – a
new record.
In July, President Donald Trump tweeted
that he would seek to bar transgender people from serving in the
military. A federal court has partially blocked the ban from taking
effect. The Trump administration has also revoked an Obama-era
policy that allowed transgender students attending public schools to
choose the bathroom of their choice.