Reports from friends say that Torrence “Chevy” Hill, a well-known Black trans man, died on February 29 in Georgia.
The Crime
Details are scarce. That’s always troubling because the community has no way to understand a violent loss or attend to their own safety, especially other Black trans men. We have no way of knowing if there’s a larger threat. I don’t necessarily trust law enforcement to protect us by withholding information, especially in a violent crime.
Honoring Chevy
Born in Macon, Georgia, he eventually relocated to Atlanta. Torrence founded and owned Evollusion, a hair salon dedicated to creating an affirming barbershop culture for Black queer and trans folx. Established in 2017, Evollusion is a full-service salon offering a myriad of services to create a “full experience.”
He was known as Chevy or TK to friends. Earlier in themonth, he celebrated his 35th birthday. He was the father of a teen son, Khiree Jones.
Many tributes are pouring onto social media platforms. Torrance’s funeral service was March 11, in Atlanta. Friends were encouraged to wear a “hint of blue or purple” and bring a single flower.
The Context
Beyond mourning, community leaders are definitively and loudly calling upon allies to more actively take steps to protect the trans community.
Our people are constantly showing up and showing out for each other to ensure we have spaces to be free as our authentic selves without fear of violence. We need those who purport to care about our community to do the same thing, to protect us against the violence Chevy and too many others in the Black trans community experience.
Victoria Kirby York, Director of Public Policy and Program, NBJC
Chevy Hill sounds like an amazing man who won’t see his son grow up or enjoy the blooming of all the seeds planted at Evollusion. Our lives are all now richer for his contributions. Our lives are lessened by the senseless loss of this good man.
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Torrence Hill is the third trans or nonbinary person killed in the US in 2024. He’s the third person we know about as of know. Torrence is the first Black trans person whose death has been reported this year. But he is the third Black trans person killed in Atlanta in a year’s time and the fifth trans person of color since December 2022 – Black trans woman Destin Howard, 23, was killed in Macon in December 2022, nonbinary Indigenous person Tortuguita was shot to death in January 2023 outside of Atlanta, and Black trans women Ashley Burton, 37, in April 2023 and Rasheeda Williams, 35, also in April 2023. That’s a significant number of BIPOC trans and nonbinary individuals in a brief span of time.
If we look back into 2022 and 2021, that number rises – Kathryn Newhouse, 19 in March 2022; Serenity Hollis, 24, in 2021; Bianca Bankzy, 31, in 2021; and even more in 2020. Why is Georgia such a hostile community for trans folx, especially Black trans folx? Six of these identified people were Black, one was Indigenous and Latino; the youngest was Asian-American.
I’ve been writing memorials for over a decade. Even so this reality startled me.
More than ever we need more people like Chevy to create safety and provide safe haven for all trans and nonbinary folx in Atlanta. I hope his family and friends find a way to keep the salon open to perpetually honor his legacy. Potentially losing that safe space amplifies the tragedy of his recent death. Stealing his life and his life’s work is a loss in a community that can’t be adequately described.
Rest in power, Chevy. You brought so much affirmation and joy to your friends and community. Thank you for the work you did to create a valuable resource and community space. Your life ended too soon under mysterious circumstances; you were ripped away by violence. I am sorry we did not protect you. I hope your son grows up in a better world, a world you helped to make better.
May your memory be a revolution.
This is our list
This is our list of transgender, nonbinary, and gender nonconforming neighbors who have been victims of the campaign of terror in 2024. Please do not copy, modify, or share this list without attribution.
- Kitty Monroe – January 1, 2024. Phoenix, Arizona. Age 43.
- Nex Benedict – February 8, 2024. Owasso, Oklahoma. Age 16.
- Righteous Torrence ‘TK’ Chevy Hill – February 29, Atlanta. Georgia. Age 35.
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