“Unerased” is more than just a bunch of numbers. With a click, readers can learn about Devin Diamond, Crystal Edmonds, Jessie Hernandez, Monica Loera, Evon Young, Lorena Escalera, Cassidy Vickers and more than 100 more.

A self-guided tour of the database yields more than names, numbers, their stories and statistics. The sad, significant and stark reality that emerges from the photographs is that the vast majority of these victims were trans women of color.

Working with the New York City Anti-Violence Project, transgender advocacy organizations, activists, academics and the loved ones and friends of victims, the Mic journalists gathered a wealth of demographic, multimedia and biographical information that the website has posted online for the world to see.

While intended to help academics, journalists, and transgender activists, this tool could also become a powerful change engine for allies of the trans community to use in advocating for civil rights protections and a greater commitment from law enforcement.

But the “Unerased” database is just the beginning, according to Mic. In addition to making a commitment to continuously update and expand its collection of information, the editors tasked esteemed journalist and contributing editor Meredith Talusan with the job of investigating the epidemic that, to date, has claimed at least 111 transgender and gender-nonconforming Americans.

In addition to leading the team, Talusan’s task was to explore why the victims’ gender identities cost them their lives, learn who they were, and try to understand and explain why the problem is only growing worse each passing year.

“In reporting this story and speaking with family members of transgender homicide victims, we focused on bringing light to the systematic failures impacting trans people, especially trans women of color,” said Talusan in a statement emailed to LGBTQNation. “If everyone in the U.S. were murdered at the rate young black trans women and femmes are, there’s no doubt that the public would consider this a crisis of massive proportions.”

Consider the numbers: of those 111 victims over six years, Mic says it found 75% of them were black trans women and gender-nonconforming femmes, who don’t identify as male or female and present as feminine. Citing numbers from the NCAVP, Talusan wrote that “no group under the LGBTQ umbrella faces more violence than transgender people, who accounted for 67% of the hate-related homicides against queer people in 2015.”

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My friend, Jessica (she has given permission for her story and name to be shared), was brutally attacked on July 13th when she went out with a friend to a local bar called the Beaver Tap in Lenexa, KS. It is a spot that Jessica and her friend Kay (both CIS women) liked to go dance and listen to the DJ on Wednesday nights. It’s even a favorite hangout of locally based rapper Tech9. And before this night, nothing like this had ever happened.

Here are the events in Kay’s own words.

…hate crime at Beaver Tap in Lenexa. 2 girls go into a bar, 1 is dancing “too close” to a group of 4 people who aren’t okay with the fact that we’re gay.

So instead of kicking them out for starting a physical altercation the first time because they couldn’t see a “sucker punch” directly on camera, this is what happens. You allow a group of people back into a bar who are full of hate and you want to call the police?

Lol please call them. Here starts your lawsuit for allowing a hate crime to continue to happen. You knew they were calling us faggots. You knew a 6’4″ white dude grabbed her glasses and hit her face because she’s sticking up for who she is. You were the cause of him punching a woman in the face because you decided to refuse to de-escalate the situation when the verbal and physical altercation first started.

‪#‎HateBecauseWereGay‬ ‪#‎Victims‬ ‪#‎HateCrime‬

The video of Jessica showing off the effects of the attack can be seen here.

You can find more of the story as related by Jessica herself here. However here is a brief snippet of the how things began to quickly escalate. (Please note that a few facts not pertaining to the actual attacks are incorrect per Jessica- however the events are exactly as unfolded).

Jessica went to the bathroom to pull herself together, and Kay noticed the two men get up and also head toward the restrooms. She became alarmed when the two women also got up and went toward the restrooms.

When Jessica saw the women, they were going in as she was coming out. As Jessica came out, one of the girls threw her drink on her and attacked her. Jessica tried to yet again defend herself against their attack. Kay had now arrived and tried to break it up, but one of the female attackers held her down.

When the men came out of restrooms, the same male assailant grabbed the glasses off of Jessica’s face and broke them. He then proceeded to once again punch Jessica in the face, while one of the women held onto her by her hair.

This is someone I know and someone I think very highly of. A kind person with a big heart. Someone who has been an ally to me. Not that anyone deserves to be a victim of an assault because of their sexuality, gender, race, religion, etc.

Ending Hate Crimes Is Not an Agenda

This is reality. You can claim an “LGBT Agenda” all you like. But the real “agenda” is safety and happiness. Something not afforded to people like Jessica Culp because she happened to be dancing with another woman at the Beaver Tap. (Who has taken down their facebook page to avoid as much bad publicity as possible).

I ask you to read this. I ask you to support Jessica and all of those that are attacked for being who they are.

Even if you don’t “agree” with their “choice”, do you agree it’s okay for a 6’4 male to beat down a woman for no other reason than her “lifestyle”?

We have allowed this attitude to go unchecked. You think it’s stupid to be talking about gay rights, hate crime, and bathroom bills when there is so many more “important things” going on. I dare say those talks are pretty important to people like Jessica and the rest of the LGBT community.

As I’m sure you’ve heard by now, there was a shooting last night at Pulse, an LGBT nightclub in Orlando Florida. It caught so many of us by surprise, and I’m honestly still trying to process it even now. Little did I think as I laid down to bed last night after attending Pensacola’s own local LGBT pride festival on one of those rare occasions that everything felt right with the world, that I’d wake up this morning to the news that only 8 hours away, over 50 people had died and 50 more had been injured during the Orlando shooting in what has now taken it’s place as the largest mass shooting, and the largest LGBT hate crime in U.S. History.

The world has always been a frightening place for us. Many in our communities have been fighting this battle against hatred since Stonewall, and it still wasn’t so long ago that in many countries you could be imprisoned, or lobotomized, or even executed for your gender identity or your orientation. In some places that’s still going on, and when something like this happens, especially for those who’ve lived through those times and events, I’m sure it brings everything rushing back. For those of us who are very young, the world has probably never felt quite as frightening as it does today.

Myself… I feel so alone, small and frightened.

And every five minutes, I just want to break down and cry — and several times, I have. I first heard the news by way of concerns from my followers on various social media platforms who know I’m from Florida, but weren’t sure of which part, who were reaching out to make sure that I was safe and alive, most of whom have been feeling the exact same same way I have, and I just want everyone who’s here to read this to know that I’m just so glad you’re alive, and that what you’re feeling is valid.

I want you know that it’s okay to feel heart broken and afraid, and it is most certainly okay to cry.

What happened last night with the Orlando shooting was heart breaking. And terrifying, and so I want you know that it’s okay to feel heart broken and afraid, and it is most certainly okay to cry.

I’ve gotten messages a lot over the course of my activism work telling me how brave people think I am, but moments like this especially, it’s really hard to feel brave. It’s so easy to just want to collapse in on yourself and disappear, but now more than ever is the time for all of us to be brave, and stand together in love and support for the lives that we’ve lost and for all of us who are left behind to deal with that loss and pain and fear, and I want you to know that you can still do that even when you are afraid.

I say this because after facing homelessness and losing my family and friends, and nearly everything I once had coming out, and spending the last year and a half working nearly round the clock as an activist, I’ve learned that being brave doesn’t mean not being afraid. Often, being brave really just means putting on a bold face, and doing everything you can to push forward, and just keep going, and doing what’s right, and living your truth, even though on the inside, you’e really scared to death.

I know that’s what it’s meant for me, and what it continues to mean for me every day.

It can no longer be denied that we live in revolutionary times. Unfortunately, revolutionary times are often very violent. We lost so many beautiful souls in Orlando, and I’m sure we will lose more here at home and all over the world before it’s all said and done. Hate crimes against the LGBT, especially against trans women haven’t been showing any signs of stopping. This attack came in the wake of a Target bathroom bombing which was its own act of transphobic terrorism, and as frightening as it is and as much as we may not want to think about it, when we’re faced with this kind of tragedy we’re forced to come to terms with the fact that one day, it might be us.

That’s not an easy thing to do. Most days I try to shrug it off like it’s nothing, but most of the time, I’m terrified. I cry about it, I have nightmares, and I just want all of you to know that that’s okay, and it’s okay to take some time to just process everything and feel. There’s going to be a lot of calls for activism in the coming weeks and months. Honestly we need it, but I want you to remember that your safety is never a currency to be exchanged for progress, and that you and your self-care always come first.

I want you to remember that your safety is never a currency to be exchanged for progress.

It’s very difficult to process, and I only wish I could be there to offer you a shoulder to cry on. I know I need one too, but a lot of you have reached out, and I know a lot of you will continue reaching out, and I just want you to know that seeing your concern and your words comforts me in knowing that I’m not really alone, and neither are you.

And I want to take a moment to extend my personal sympathies to our friends and families in the muslim communities, who we all know will face renewed hatred and suspicion and violence, and who will be falsely painted as villains in light of this attack. My heart goes out especially to our LGBT muslim siblings who will continue to face hatred and violence for their orientation or gender on top of it.

And I want everyone to remember that this was not rooted in anyone’s religion, but in a hatred for people who are different, and we will overcome it by standing together in unity, love and peace, because love always wins.

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