Chicago’s mayor has become the subject of ridicule after promoting his transgender violence state of emergency amid a deadly Juneteenth weekend where dozens of people in his city were shot and six were killed.
“Since declaring a Transfemicide State of Emergency, our administration has strengthened the City’s capacity to support LGBTQ+ Chicagoans,” a Sunday X post from Mayor Brandon Johnson said. “This framework builds on that work by centering the voices and lived experiences of trans Chicagoans to chart a path toward a safer, more connected city.”
“Transfemicide” is defined as the “targeted killing of a transgender woman motivated by transphobic and misogynistic hatred.” Critics were quick to point out that Johnson appears focused on promoting on Juneteenth weekend the fight against an obscure transgender violence category rather than the killing of black Chicagoans.
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Johnson’s office reupped the state of emergency on Sunday after it was first implemented in 2024.
A report on the subject suggests that violence against transgender women, particularly black, indigenous people of color (BIPOC) transgender women, is endemic in Chicago.
But the report does not mention how many transgender women have been killed in the city, and admittedly includes suicides in the “transfemicide” category despite the term’s definition. An image at the top of the paper features 21 people and their photos, presumably transgender women who have died in Chicago.
Online critics lambasted Johnson for focusing his administration’s energy on the transgender issue, and many noted that the timing of the post coincided with a weekend where 39 people were shot and six killed while the city celebrated Juneteenth.
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“Nobody knows what a ‘Transfemicide State of Emergency’ is,” said Rep. Brandon Gill, R-Texas, on X. “This is what the Mayor of Chicago is focused on.”
“Black Chicagoans are dying in the streets by the dozens every month in gang violence, drive-bys, and retaliation,” one X user said in part. “That’s the real emergency crushing families in Roseland, Englewood, Austin, and beyond. Not niche identity reports.”
“‘Transfemicide state of emergency.’ Beyond parody. And delusional,” said a post from conservative commentator Matt Walsh in part.
“Everyone is dunking on this but I think it’s NICE that Mayor Johnson finally found a type of murder he doesn’t like. Baby steps,” said X personality Jarvis Best.
“‘Transfemicide State of Emergency,'” former White House Deputy Chief of Staff James Blair parroted. “We are running out of sentences.”
President Donald Trump blasted Democratic Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker for the violence on Saturday, and offered federal help to quell the chaos.
“Lots of Killing going on in Chicago,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “Why isn’t Governor Pritzker calling me for help. I could make Chicago a safe City in ONE MONTH, in ONE YEAR, it would be one of the safest!!!”
He touted success in slowing violent crime in Washington, D.C. by bringing in National Guard troops and federal law enforcement.
Johnson’s office did not return a request for comment.
