by Ed Aymar

Over 100 crime fiction writers, ranging from award winners to international bestsellers, and other writers who joined our effort, are participating in an auction to benefit the Transgender Law Center.

This auction, which runs March 26 through April 1, offers fans and supporters the chance to support an urgent cause and bid on select items from their favorite writers, including signed books, author chats, manuscript evaluations, and much more. There is also an option to donate directly to the Transgender Law Center on the auction site, which can be found at: 32auctions.com/writers4transrights.

For the past several years, those in power have sought to replace compassion and empathy with scorn and contempt. Immigrants, women, the LGBTQIA+ community, and more have been made to feel disenfranchised, their lives up for debate.

Of late, these attacks have specifically targeted the rights of trans people. The Williams Institute at the UCLA School of Law reports “transgender people are over four times more likely than cisgender people to be victims of violent crime.” According to the Human Rights Campaign, the majority of these victims were transgender women of color. Everytown for Gun Safety found that, as lawmakers have introduced more and more anti-trans legislation, murders of trans people have nearly doubled. And perhaps most wrenching, are current legislation and Executive Orders that seek to further limit the rights and very existence of trans people.

This auction, timed to coincide with Trans Visibility Day-March 31, 2025, was started by a group of crime fiction writers who were troubled by the increasing restrictions on trans identities and the attempts to erase them. Originally unsure of how much support this effort would receive, they were moved by the enthusiasm of so many prominent writers. Roxane Gay, David Balducci, Gillian Flynn, Scott Turow, Louise Penny, Ann Cleeves, William Kent Krueger, Tess Gerritsen, TJ Klune and many more, as well as crime fiction-related organizations and agents, have generously donated prizes.

The group of writers who organized this auction includes trans author, attorney, and advocate Robyn Gigl. “I honestly wish this initiative wasn’t necessary,” Gigl said, “but unfortunately, it is. The trans community is a relatively small segment of the population and that why it’s so vitally important for our allies to stand with us and support us. It’s an honor to be part of this effort.”

E.A. Aymar’s most recent thriller, When She Left, was chosen by PEN/Faulkner as one of three books for their prestigious DC Reads program in 2025. His previous thriller, No Home for Killers, received praise from the New York Times, Kirkus, the South Florida Sun-Sentinel, and was an instant Amazon Bestseller.A frequent contributor to the Washington Post, Aymar is a former member of the national board of the International Thriller Writers and an active member of Crime Writers of Color and Sisters in Crime.