The numbers are horrifying, but they don’t tell the whole story.

In one week alone, four transgender black women were murdered in the United States. So far this year, there have been seven murders of transgender people, well above last year’s figure. And 2016 saw the murder of 23 transgender and gender nonconforming people, the highest ever recorded by groups that monitor this violence.

Beyond these shocking statistics are real people, parts of vibrant communities, people who are loved and treasured and who are targeted because of their gender identity. Now, those hate-fueled perpetrators see a national climate of rising intolerance against transgender people, with a disregard for their safety and human rights that starts at the very top.

Donald Trump’s decision to rescind President Barack Obama’s guidance on protections for transgender school children, along with the Supreme Court’s decision not to hear what would have been the Court’s first case involving transgender rights, compels us to redouble our efforts to end the culture of violence and the culture of sexism that’s seen such an alarming rise in recent months.

The rise in transgender homicides is a national emergency, but so is the federal government’s abandonment of its constitutional obligation to protect and defend the rights of all citizens, regardless of gender identity. NOW stands with the transgender community and will work tirelessly to support their freedom in the current climate of discrimination, prejudice and violence.