[ This speech was delivered by Felisha Buchinger, Party for Socialism and Liberation, on February 22, 2025 outside the Canandaigua Courthouse, Canandaigua, NY. ]

We are here today heartbroken and angry. We mourn the brutal murder of Sam Nordquist, a Black transgender man from Minnesota who went missing here in Canandaigua. Sam’s life was cut short in an act of violence, an act of violence that is not an isolated incident but a symptom of a society that perpetuates exploitation, bigotry, and violence against transgender people—especially those who are Black.

Transgender people are 2.5 times more likely to be victims of violent crime. 75% of Trans murder victims are people of color.

Transgender people are 2.5 times more likely to be victims of violent crime. 75% of Trans murder victims are people of color. These numbers are not a coincidence. They are the result of systemic failures: the commodification of bodies, the criminalization of poverty, and the lack of access to healthcare, housing, and living wage employment. Under capitalism, these systems disproportionately harm transgender people, pushing them to the margins of society and leaving them vulnerable to violence.

Sam, a transgender black man, was tortured and murdered by at least 7 white people.  There has been debate over whether Sam’s murder constitutes a hate crime. What is a hate crime? – the legal definition, a crime with bias as a motive. Okay where does bias come from? Do we believe people are born evil, or that certain demographics are inherently more violent, as statistics might lead you to believe? Of course not. Bias is learned, cultivated, and weaponized. It is fueled by dangerous rhetoric and bigoted disinformation, often amplified by politicians and media that seek to divide us and create an underclass to justify dehumanizing treatment. 

Sam’s murder occurred amidst an escalation of attacks on transgender people, fueled by fear-mongering and the scapegoating of trans people by the likes of Donald Trump, his billionaire buddies, far right elements of society and frankly this rhetoric has permeated other groups that we might hope would reject such a clear mystification of the problems that our society is facing. 

It is a hate system. Capitalist ideology relies on division—identity hierarchies that pit us against each other. It’s why some within the LGBTQ+ community exclude transgender and queer people. The denial of trans existence and denigration of trans life upholds racism, aggressive policing, and the oppression and exploitation of all poor and working class people. 

This system seeks to solve every societal problem by throwing most of our public budget at the police and the carceral system. We know what actually decreases crime, it’s meeting people’s basic needs, its providing an opportunity to lead fulfilling dignified lives. The police, an institution designed to protect property and power, often fail to respond to the needs of the poor and marginalized. Sam’s family had been contacting the police for months before any action was taken. 

Here in Ontario County, where Sam went missing, there is virtually no emergency housing. No shelters. Long waitlists for housing assistance. People are given vouchers for unsafe places, leaving queer youth, domestic violence survivors, immigrants, and the poorest among us with nowhere to turn. Sam had contacted social services about his circumstances and even had social services reach out to his family. Meanwhile Trump and his billionaire buddies are stripping the funding from these ALREADY inadequate services. 

This case is reminiscent of another instance that happened in Canandaigua when a transgender black woman named Chanel Hines was shot by her parole officer at another Canandaigua motel. It’s a hate system. 

The truth is, our society did not work for Sam. It wasn’t meant to. The patriarchal understanding of gender and sexuality arose historically as part of class society and capitalism. It’s no coincidence that people that fall outside of this archetype are the first to be targeted, it’s what happened during medieval witch hunts, it’s what happened during Nazi Germany and it’s what’s happening now. This is a system that prioritizes profit over people, that criminalizes poverty, and that allows violence against marginalized communities to persist. 

There is a piece of Sam in all of us—a desire to take power over our own lives, to be happy in our own skin, to be free from the forces that push us down. Sam’s life mattered. His dreams mattered. And his death must be a call to action.

We have to do better. Not just by saying it, but by addressing the root causes of this violence. It will take all of us—across generations—to dismantle the systems of oppression that led to Sam’s murder. 

We must fight for Sam’s right to live, as a black trans man. We must fight for housing, healthcare, and living wage employment for all. We must challenge the rhetoric that divides us and stand in solidarity with transgender people. And we must demand accountability from those in power who perpetuate violence through their words, policies, and inaction.

Sam’s life was taken from him, but his memory can inspire us to build a world where no one has to live in fear simply for being who they are. Let us honor Sam by committing to the long, hard work of creating that world. Nothing changes if we don’t come together and fight back.