The Matrix of Violence: Intersectionality and Necropolitics in the Murder of Transgender People in the United States, 1990–2019

Abstract

It is well established that there are racial and gendered inequalities in murders of cisgender people. However, lack of data has hampered intersectional analyses of these factors for transgender people. Addressing that gap, this article presents findings from an original data set of murders of transgender people in the United States during the 30-year period from 1990 through 2019. Findings reveal that the gender and racial gaps in homicide of transgender people far exceed those of cisgender people. Transgender women are substantially more likely to be murdered than transgender men, and transgender women of color are murdered much more frequently than white transgender women. Attending to sexuality is also important because a substantial number of murders of transgender women occur in sexual interactions. However, transgender women of color are more likely to be killed while exchanging sex for money, whereas sex work circumstances are uncommon among white victims. I explain these patterns through what I term the matrix of violence, a structuring structure in which intersecting systems of stratification interact with necropolitical social institutions to facilitate certain types of violence while deterring others. In the conclusion, I use the findings to explore ways to reduce violence against transgender people.