A new report has shown that 2017 has already surpassed 2016 in the number of murders of LGBT people in the U.S. The National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs previously stated that 2016 was the deadliest year for the American LGBT community on record, and that’s not counting the horrific murder of 49 people in the Orlando shootings. These new statistics, released to Buzzfeed, shows that, horrifyingly, 2017 has overtaken these disturbing numbers in just eight months.

Since January 2017 up until August 2017, 33 hate killings have taken place. 15 of those murdered were trans women of colour, and 12 were cis gay men. That means in 2017, approximately one LGBT person has been killed every six days. In 2016, excluding the Orlando massacre, 28 hate-related homicides happened, making it one every 13 days.

The data has been gathered from national publications, friends and family of victims, and LGBT organisations across the U.S.

The National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs told Buzzfeed that there isn’t just one clear explanation for the horrible increase in deaths – detailing issues surrounding the amped up media reporting, more “accurate identification of victims” by law enforcement, increased violence and more media attention surrounding LGBT rights.

“I think whether it’s an increase in reporting, an increase in violence, or some combination thereof, it should be a wake-up call for us across our communities that hate violence is not going away, it’s certainly not decreasing, and it’s symptomatic of larger and deeper problems in our society that we still haven’t addressed,” Beverly Tillery, executive director at New York City Anti-Violence Project, told BuzzFeed.

Kenne McFadden was the 12th trans person of colour murdered in the U.S in June. Two of the trans women of colour murdered were in New Orleans: Chyna Gibson, 31, was shot outside a shopping mall, and Ciara McElveen, 25, was stabbed to death in the city.

Vanessa Panfil, an assistant professor of sociology and criminal justice at Old Dominion University in Virginia, related to Buzzfeed that an increase in violence runs parallel to the Trump administration’s pulling back on Obama’s progress with LGBT rights: from the trans bathroom guidelines to the ban on trans people serving in the military.

“We're not sending clear messages that LGBTQ lives are valued,” Shelby Chestnut, director of community organising and public advocacy at the New York City Anti-Violence Project, said in an interview with USA Today after the report was released. “People are dying as a result of anti-LGBT violence almost daily in this country, and it is everyone's problem.”

Outside of the U.S of course, there has also been the disturbing reports from Chechnya, where dozens of gay men were rounded up and reportedly executed by the local government. 

Read more on this report here.