(18 Nov 2014) More than 1600 people have been killed over 6 years because of their transgender identities - that's according to Transgender Europe, an organisation that promotes equality and inclusion of transgender people.
The group estimates that by the end of this year a further 226 people will be killed for the same reason.
Now transgender people around the world are preparing to mark an annual International Day of Remembrance.
Strutting their stuff in the hope of taking home the coveted title of 'Miss International Queen'.
Here in Thailand, these 25 contestants are competing to take home a crown, a trophy and a 300,000 Thai Baht ($10,000 USD) prize.
According to the pageant's rules and conditions for entry, contestants should have been born male, and must be a transvestite or a pre or post-operation transsexual.
While Thailand is culturally accepting of transgender people, in other parts of the world it's not the case.
Here in London, Faithais Y��ez is preparing to pay tribute to a dear friend.
On November 20th transgender people around the world will mark an International Day of Remembrance (or TDOR as it is known) for people they believe were killed because of their transgender identity.
Y��ez will be mourning her friend, psychologist and activist, Agnes Torres Hernandez.
The transgender campaigner was brutally killed in March earlier this year at the age of 28.
Her friends and fellow activists say she was killed because of her transgender identity and she's not the only one.
According to Transgender Europe, an umbrella organisation which works towards the equality and inclusion of transgender people, since January 2008 the killings of 1,612 transgender people have been reported in 62 countries.
This year, the group says 226 people will be added to that list.
For Y��ez, Agnes' death demonstrates the treatment her fellow countrymen and women face back home in Mexico.
Of the 1,612 killings, 79 percent (1,267) were in Central and South America.
In Brazil there were 644.
"People tend to forget that we are humans as well and we suffer," says Y��ez.
"It's important for me because Mexico is the second country in the world with most transgender murders and I'm Mexican. Not only is it the second most country, it's also the most vicious. Murders are not normal, they are torture, they are rape, they are vicious. So it's important for me to remember those who like Agnes gave their lives for us."
As part of the International Day of Remembrance a candle will be lit for each of this year's known victims of a transphobic killing.
The memorial day first began in the United States and is now held in more than 180 cities in over 20 countries around the world.
It's designed to raise awareness about transgender hate crimes while providing an opportunity to mourn and remember the dead.
For activists like Natacha Kennedy, it's an issue that needs to be addressed globally, not just in South America.
She says transgender people are stigmatised around the world: "Transphobia is something very real in the UK."
"It's not usually the sort of transphobia you would get in Mexico or Brazil. People aren't out necessarily to kill trans people in the large numbers they are there. But it's still real, it still means people don't get jobs, it means that people are attacked physically, people are raped, people can't get housing, people struggle to get into education."
Transgender people are those who do not identify with the gender that they were born with and so adopt the appearance of the gender they feel most suits them.
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