In our bullet-point world, worthy news often goes unreported. In November 2021, Valentina Sampaio became the new face of Armani Beauty, joining Cate Blanchett. The first-ever transgender Victoria’s Secret model, who made a big splash in Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issues of 2020 and 2021, began calling herself Valentina at age 12,

Now Valentina Sampaio is an ambassador for one of the world’s most prestigious brands. Harper’s Bazaar UK shared news of Valentina’s Armani Beauty appointment in November, with her hopes that other brands will follow in Armani Beauty’s footsteps by embracing the trans community.

These Armani Beauty images of Valentina Sampaio appear in the February 2022 issue of Harper’s UK. Tilly Wheating styles Sampaio in ‘Bold Thinking’, clearly a quiet reference to the model’s trans status, as well as Armani-style ‘bold’ makeup.

Neither the model or the brand speak with a megaphone, a reality reflected in the serene images photographer by Kristin Vicari [IM]./ Hair by Bjorn Krischker; makeup by Valeria Ferreira

In America, 2021 was the deadliest year for transgender and gender non-conforming people in the U.S. on record, according to the Human Rights Campaign [HRC], who began recording statistics in 2013. In citing the 50 murders in America in 2021, the new report stressed that the numbers are probably far higher.

Not only do many trans murders go unreported, but both police and media frequently misgender the dead. In 2021, 24 of the 50 murders tallied by HRC were defined by their sex at birth, most probably in the autopsy report.

Tori Cooper, the director of community engagement for the transgender justice initiative at the HRC Foundation, says HRC not only noticed a rise in fatal violence, but an “increase in violent acts, period.”

We know that America is a hot-bed of increasing anti-trans violence coming from our right-wing, hardcore evangelical community. Cooper explains to TIME magazine:

There could be several factors contributing to the rise in violence, Cooper says. Systemic racism and transphobia exacerbates poverty and directly impacts the lives of many trans individuals, she explains. There has also been a rise in anti-trans disinformation in the media and from conservative lawmakers. This year, at least 130 bills were introduced into state legislatures that targeted trans people, including the ability of trans kids to use the bathroom, play sports or receive medical care. A record-breaking 25 anti-LGBTQ bills were ultimately enacted into law, including 13 anti-trans laws in at least eight states, per HRC’s count.
“Words matter,” Coopers says, when asked about potential factors contributing to the violence. “Words become thoughts and thoughts become action.”