Holy fuck the mental gymnastics on display are Olympic-level, you should try out for the team sometime.

In the 70’s US, most people were entirely unaware of the subject. Violence against trans people absolutely occurred, and it was absolutely horrific, but the problems mostly stemmed from true ignorance. It was not like today where over 500 anti-trans bills were introduced this year to systematically harm, erase, and even hunt people for not identifying with what they were assigned at birth. With multiple organizations like the HRC declaring a state of emergency for trans people, yes, things today are undoubtedly more hostile than they have been in the past.

Talk to older people

How about you do that? I do quite frequently, in fact. From the events I’ve created or attended to celebrate trans identities, older trans people have exclusively expressed to me their fears for the growing hatred, and how it is unlike anything they have seen before. There are far more people that are accepting today than ever, yes, but there are also far more people who have so much extreme bigotry that they commit violence against trans people.

If only that were true. I can’t speak for the world as a whole, but things are pretty bad in the US. As a whole, LGBTQ+, especially trans folks, are at the highest risk of being victimized in the last 50 years. Just a few months ago, about 15 miles away from where I live, a trans kid was lured by right wing extremists and murdered. They used Grindr to catfish him in a planned, coordinated action. They are on trial for it right now.

I used that example to iterate how problems do exist in our personal communities. Anecdotes are not proof of larger societal trends, but the societal trends show it is a societal problem, too.

Yes, the number in the article I linked is not large by itself, but it is important to remember they are nearly all people who were fully out and were not afraid to tell people it. Most trans people are either somewhat or entirely closeted for safety.