New York, N.Y. – In response to the recent police killings of Adam Toledo in Chicago, Illinois and Daunte Wright in Brooklyn Center, Minnesota, as well as the news of the killing of another Black transgender woman, Jaida Peterson, Family Equality issued the following statement:
“13-year-old Adam Toledo in Illinois, 20-year-old Daunte Wright in Minnesota and 29-year-old, Jaida Peterson in North Carolina join a list—too long—of Black and Brown people whose lives were violently taken away from them as they attempted to simply live. Just four months into 2021, at least 87 Black and Brown individuals have been murdered by police. And, at least 14 transgender or gender non-conforming people have been violently killed so far this year.
“As a movement and as an organization, we must do more to support, protect, and reinvest in our Black and Brown families, who have for too long borne the brunt of these horrific acts of violence. We need to affirm that Black Lives and Black Trans Lives Matter, and commit ourselves to the action that these words require.
“To our Black and Brown community members, who are such a valued part of the Family Equality family: While we have made progress in establishing diversity, equity, and inclusivity as core values of our organization, we vow to continue to go further. Our commitments to anti-racism and combating white supremacy are an integral part of our mission to achieve lived and legal equality for LGBTQ+ families, and we will not stop fighting for your right to live safely and without fear.”
About Family Equality
Family Equality advances legal and lived equality for LGBTQ+ families, and for those who wish to form them, through building community, changing hearts and minds, and driving policy change. Family Equality believes every LGBTQ+ person should have the right and opportunity to form and sustain a loving family, regardless of who they are or where they live. Learn more at familyequality.org.
# # #
Press Contact
Anna Libertin,
Chief Communications Officer (Interim)/
646-880-3005 ext. 157
communications@familyequality.org