ATHENS — On the occasion of International Transgender Remembrance Day, the Transgender Support Association (TSA) on Friday called on the state to "take swift initiatives with relevant legislative measures, in particular in the field of combating racism, intolerance and discrimination, which also protect trans, gender variant and intersex persons."

November 20 has been designated as a day to remember and honour transgender and gender variant people murdered in various parts of the world.

Last year, according to the TSA, there were 350 murders of trans and gender variant people recorded around the world. It noted that these were only officially recorded hate murders, and that the actual number may be much higher, as many countries do not properly identify trans and gender variant individuals, or else keep no records at all.

About 98 pct of those murdered were either trans women or transgender individuals with a female gender expression, 62 pct were sex workers, while 50 pct were trans refugees or migrants. This showed that those killed belong to the most vulnerable trans populations, those who face multiple discrimination, the TSA noted.

The average age of the victims was 31 years old, while the youngest recorded victim was only 15 years old. Of these victims, 115 were killed using guns, 68 were stabbed, 25 were beaten and 15 were tortured to death, eight were strangled, six were burned alive and four were stoned to death. The above statistics show that the murders that are exceptionally heinous and painful for the victims, the Association pointed out.

In Greece in recent years, according to the Network for Recording Incidents of Racist Violence, rates of racist incidents and discrimination remain high, accounting for about 20 pct of the total recorded incidents. The last incident, a week before Remembrance Day, was a violent attack on a trans woman with a knife, which resulted in her being treated for lung injuries, which is being investigated by the Racist Violence Department of the Thessaloniki police.