On ABC, TransGriot’s Monica Roberts highlights the importance of respectful and accurate reporting on the murders of Black trans women

At least 17 transgender women of color have been murdered in the United States this year, according to the Human Rights Campaign

Special Programs LGBTQ

Written by Alex Paterson

Published 10/04/19 5:25 PM EDT

An in-depth segment of ABC’s Nightline on the epidemic of violence the trans community is facing featured Monica Roberts, the founding editor of TransGriot, a blog that covers issues relevant to the transgender community and corrects reports on the murders of transgender women. Roberts detailed the crucial need for coverage of transgender people to be accurate and respectful. The two-part segment also featured Pose star Dominique Jackson, who discussed the importance of trans visibility.

From the October 3 edition of ABC’s Nightline

[Monica Roberts reading the names of Black transgender women who have been killed in 2019 in background]

JUJU CHANG (HOST): Joining activists like Monica Roberts, who says it all starts by saying their names.

MONICA ROBERTS (TRANSGRIOT, FOUNDING EDITOR): It is important to not only be respected in death, but by doing that respectful coverage it helps catch the people who are killing us.

CHANG: For 13 years, her blog TransGriot, an homage to African storytelling, has made it a mission to correct every news article and police report that misgenders trans women.

ROBERTS: I wanted to role model what a story looked like to the media that respectfully covered trans folks.

CHANG: Only then, she says, can the tragic stories of these women enter the mainstream consciousness.

ROBERTS: Claire Legato, 21, Brooklyn Lindsey, 32, Zoe Spears, Muhlaysia Booker.

From the October 3 edition of ABC’s Nightline

JUJU CHANG (HOST): And finally tonight, we should note that many in the trans community face the harshest conditions once they're pushed out by their own families. Right, Dominique?

DOMINQUE JACKSON (ACTOR): You're pushed out onto the street, forced to do survival sex work. You just want to live, you want to survive. And then you’re forced into doing drugs to be able to cope. It's very harsh.

CHANG: And we're looking at high rates of homelessness, high rates of drug abuse, high rates of suicide attempts.

JACKSON: Yes, I've lived it all. And that is why visibility is so important. Because when we're visible, then people living in certain places or people with certain ideologies know that it's OK to be ourselves. We're human first --

CHANG: And then transgender.

JACKSON: -- and then trans.

CHANG: I can't thank you enough for being here, sharing your insights. I appreciate that. And thank you for joining us tonight. We'll have more on this conversation on our Nightline Facebook page. Be sure to check it out. And we leave you tonight with the names and faces of the trans women of color whom we've lost this year.

Media coverage of the murders of transgender people is broadly lacking, and reporting on issues affecting the transgender community often unnecessarily demeans trans people. GLAAD’s guide on covering the transgender community details how to write “fair and accurate stories about transgender people.” When reporting on the transgender community, media outlets should always use a person’s current name and pronouns and should avoid misgendering or deadnaming a trans person.

On ABC, TransGriot’s Monica Roberts highlights the importance of respectful and accurate reporting on the murders of Black trans women

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