The New Mexico Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women task force held a public meeting on Thursday on the topic of violence against queer and trans people in the community. While the task force isn’t new, discussing the issue of violence against Indigenous trans people is a new topic for them. The meeting was moderated by Mattee Jim of the Zuni People Clan and born for the House People Clan, who said that trans women, as well as the entire LGBTQ+ community are often forgotten in conversations about violence against Indigenous women. “Trans people are human beings,” she said, adding that “rarely do you find laws and policies in tribal communities that protect us, especially for trans individuals.” The task force, which was created in 2019, has been holding meetings like this all year, but Jim said that trans and queer people are often missing from those discussions. “It’s called ‘Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women,’ but with our trans population, we see a lot of murders and violence within our communities,” she said.