The freedom to be and do whatever you want, if only it was true. America was made on the dream that we were going to be a country of individuals united under the freedom we all share, meaning you could have nothing in common with the people you meet, but that’s okay.  And you may not have any common interests, but you share a common dream and hope that you can like different things and that it’s okay. But people know that isn’t always the case.

On August 4th LaDime Doe, an African American transgender woman, was killed in Allendale county. She was found shot to death in a car off Highway 278 on Sunday night. Just weeks before, another transgender woman “Denali Stuckey” was found dead in South Carolina. Some people are still on the fence on whether she was targeted but South Carolina and Georgia are two of only five states with no law against hate crimes. These recent murders have left the people in South Carolina and Georgia in a riot.  The people are appalled at the actions of some and demanding changes.

Matthew Duncan, Co-Chairman of the Georgia Equality Board and member of the LGBTQ+ community said, “When an attack is made against one member of that community because they are a member of that community, it affects everybody. We feel that.” Arkansas, Georgia, Indiana, South Carolina, and Wyoming are the only five states in the United States that don’t give attention to the rapid spread of hate crimes.  There are 15 states that have laws against hate crimes but not specified against the LGBTQ+ community. In a country with vast amounts of freedom, people still feel like there has to be limits; after these murders accrued, people went crazy protesting and rioting and it really brought the shocking numbers and data to the surface. People deserve to live in a country where they can be free to be themselves.