Maryland Moms Demand Action, Students Demand Action Respond to Shooting of Tai’Vion Latham, a Transgender Woman in Baltimore

BALTIMORE – The Maryland chapters of Moms Demand Action and Students Demand Action, both part of Everytown for Gun Safety’s grassroots network, released the following statements in response to the August 4 shooting of 24-year-old Tai’Vion Latham, a Black trans woman who was found shot and killed in West Baltimore Sunday morning. 

“This awful act of senseless, hateful violence is beyond horrific. Tai’Vion Latham should be alive today,” said Nicole Hollywood, a volunteer with the Maryland chapter of Moms Demand Action. “We cannot ignore the undeniable impact that gun violence has on trans and gender-expansive communities, especially Black trans women. We will never stop fighting to protect our trans and gender-expansive neighbors. Hate has no place in Maryland, and our lawmakers have a responsibility to ensure that everyone has the right to live a life free from gun violence.”

Since January 2017, there have been at least 286 homicides of transgender and gender-expansive people in the United States, 72 percent of which were with a gun. Further, these tragedies have a startlingly disproportionate impact on Black trans women. More than six in ten gun homicides of transgender and gender-expansive people were of Black trans women. Latham is one of more than 10 Black trans women who have died by violence in the U.S. in 2024. It’s also important to remember that there have likely been more deaths that have gone unreported or victims who have been misgendered. 

Latham’s death is not an isolated event. Transgender and gender-expansive people are 2.5 times as likely to be victims of violence as cisgender people. As of June this year, a record-breaking 617 anti-trans bills have been filed in states across the country. Hateful, extremist rhetoric coupled with anti-LGBTQ+ political attacks have significant and deadly consequences. When hatred is paired with unfettered access to firearms, marginalized groups face real-life violence. Lawmakers at every level must prioritize the safety of trans and gender-expansive people by taking action to disarm hate and protect marginalized groups from gun violence. 

In an average year, 799 people die by guns in Maryland, and 1,745 more are wounded. Gun violence in Maryland disproportionately impacts communities of color in Baltimore, where the majority of the guns recovered by law enforcement are brought across state lines. More information on gun violence in Maryland is available here. 

Everytown for Gun Safety Support Fund has tracked homicides of transgender and gender non-conforming people in the U.S. since 2017. In addition to breaking down gun violence to the state- and county level, the platform includes a database of known trans or gender-nonconforming homicide victims in the United States.