Kaila White

The Republic | azcentral.com

Transgender issues are in the news more than ever. Pop-culture relevance skyrocketed last year with Caitlyn Jenner, Amazon sitcom "Transparent" and Academy Award-winning film "The Danish Girl."

The public's awareness of the community's struggles increased, too. There were more transgender homicide victims in 2015 than ever recorded, according to Human Rights Campaign. At least 21 trans people, most of them women of color, were killed by last November.

Among them was Kandis Capri, a 35-year-old transgender woman who was shot to death in a Phoenix apartment complex parking lot in August. Police released video of the suspect, yet six months later, there is no new information.

As a way to recognize this community and get in touch with its issues, The Republic invited members of Arizona's gender-nonconforming communities to talk with journalists Tuesday about how the media covers trans issues.

Video: Phoenix Councilman Nowakowski denounces LGBT rights

Six panelists and several community members chatted with journalists during the sixth installment of The Republic's Diversity Dialogue series.

One main takeaway: Although they are a group, they are not uniform.

"Like any community, we’re varied. We’re not cookie cutters of each other," panelist Julian Melson said. "We’re human beings, and I think it’s really important for you to see all of us, and there’s tragedy and there’s success and there’s failure."

How can people better understand transgender people?

"Four words: Get to know us," panelist Vern Harner said to laughter, later adding, "before we die."

Meet the panelists:

Millye Carter Bloodworth , author and retired educator who said she was "privileged to be the elder in this group."

, author and retired educator who said she was "privileged to be the elder in this group." Josef Burwell , founder and director of Peacework Medical Projects, which provides medical care for gender and sexual minorities.

, founder and director of Peacework Medical Projects, which provides medical care for gender and sexual minorities. Vern Harner , Arizona State University master’s student whose research focuses on the mental and physical health of young people who are gender and sexual minorities.

, Arizona State University master’s student whose research focuses on the mental and physical health of young people who are gender and sexual minorities. Karyna Jaramillo , defense coordinator for Arcoíris Liberation Team, an immigrant-rights group.

, defense coordinator for Arcoíris Liberation Team, an immigrant-rights group. Monica Jones , an "unapologetically Black and trans" activist who works with Best Practices Policy Project, which advocates for sex workers.

, an "unapologetically Black and trans" activist who works with Best Practices Policy Project, which advocates for sex workers. Julian Melson, educator and volunteer who works with Arizona Trans* Youth and Parent Organization.

Pain and frustration over media coverage

Many panelists expressed frustration with how media cover transgender people and issues.

A common issue is when an article incorrectly identifies the name or gender of a subject, usually because the available sources are state or federal agencies or public records that do not list or recognize the person's status as trans.

A prominent example is the case of Kayden Clark, a transgender man who was shot dead by Mesa police officers earlier this year. Police initially identified him by his legal name, resulting in "dead naming" that offended Clark's friends and family.

"You might say, why don’t you just go change your name? OK, let me tell you why. It’s not that easy and it’s darn expensive," Burwell said.

All fees considered, it costs about $400 and a lot of time, he said, not to mention you have to be a legal resident. Panelist Jaramillo summed up what many trans people think:

"Why the obsession to call me what I am not?" she asked in Spanish.

Surprising statistics

GLAAD released a survey last year that shows 16 percent of Americans report knowing or working with someone who is transgender, up from 9 percent in 2008.

In 2013, 72 percent of LGBT homicide victims were transgender women, according to the National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs.

The Human Rights Campaign reported in 2013 that transgender workers are unemployed at twice the rate of the population as a whole, and they're nearly four times more likely to have a household income of under $10,000.

Feelings of invisibility

Harner identifies as genderqueer, or gender non-binary, and prefers the pronouns "they" and "them." Merriam-Webster added "genderqueer" to its dictionary this month, defining it as "a person whose gender identity cannot be categorized as solely male or female."

"As a genderqueer individual, I don’t have the option to have my gender legally recognized. I don’t have the option to have that on my birth certificate, on my ID, whatever. So when I die ... I’m gonna be misgendered.

"I want to bring that up because non-binary folks often are forgotten and we’re also not represented in those statistics ... those surveys didn’t even ask about non-binary genders," they said.

Last year, Harner surveyed LGBT youth in metro Phoenix and found that about a third identified as a non-binary gender.

Video: Phoenix Councilman Nowakowski denounces LGBT rights

Want to know more?

The panelists offered many resources where people can find research, training, webinars and more about transgender communities.

The National Center for Transgender Equality , a social-justice advocacy organization that advocates for policy change to advance transgender equality. Find it at Transequality.org.

, a social-justice advocacy organization that advocates for policy change to advance transgender equality. Find it at Transequality.org. I AM: Trans People Speak , a project that works to raise awareness about the diversity within transgender communities by giving them a platform to share their stories. Find it at Transpeoplespeak.org.

, a project that works to raise awareness about the diversity within transgender communities by giving them a platform to share their stories. Find it at Transpeoplespeak.org. FORGE , the only transgender-focused organization that is federally funded to provide training to those who work with transgender survivors of sexual assault; domestic and dating violence; and stalking. Find training and webinars at Forge-forward.org.

, the only transgender-focused organization that is federally funded to provide training to those who work with transgender survivors of sexual assault; domestic and dating violence; and stalking. Find training and webinars at Forge-forward.org. The National LGBT Health Education Center , which provides educational programs, resources and consultation to health-care organizations with the goal of optimizing quality, cost-effective health care for LGBT people. Find it at Lgbthealtheducation.org.

, which provides educational programs, resources and consultation to health-care organizations with the goal of optimizing quality, cost-effective health care for LGBT people. Find it at Lgbthealtheducation.org. The Fenway Institute , which is the research, training and health-policy division of Fenway Health, which is one of the world’s largest LGBT-focused health centers. Find it at Fenwayhealth.org/the-fenway-institute.

, which is the research, training and health-policy division of Fenway Health, which is one of the world’s largest LGBT-focused health centers. Find it at Fenwayhealth.org/the-fenway-institute. Trans* Spectrum of Arizona , a support group for transgender and gender non-conforming people and their allies. Find it at Transspectrum.org.

, a support group for transgender and gender non-conforming people and their allies. Find it at Transspectrum.org. One-n-ten , a Phoenix non-profit serving gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender youths. Find it at onenten.org.

, a Phoenix non-profit serving gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender youths. Find it at onenten.org. Trans Queer Pueblo, an immigrant-rights group involved with the Arizona Queer Undocumented Immigrant Project and the Arcoiris Liberation Team that focuses on LGBT migrants.

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