Pgh Lesbian Correspondents

In July, I blogged about the horrific death of 24-year-old Ezra Hulett, a transgender intersex man from Upstate New York. Ezra died in an immigration detention center in the Dominican Republic on June 23, 2025 under mysterious circumstances.

There has been almost no US or Engligh-language media coverage, a fact that strikes me as quite odd. Ezra deserves better.

I connected with Ezra’s mother, Diane, to ask about his life. She confirmed that Ezra’s body has been repatriated to the United States. There was some concern the Dominican Republic officials would cremate Ezra’s body before a private autopsy was arranged in the US. Thankfully, that didn’t happen so there is an opportunity to investigate.

 The family is still awaiting the conclusive results from the independent autopsy here in the US, they need more information from the DR to complete their results. They have retained an attorney and they are investigating the circumstances of his horrifying death.

Diane has offered to talk with me incrementally about Ezra so we can ensure his full robust story is part of the community narrative.

Ezra was born in Albany, New York. He’s described as a kind, sweet child and an A student in school. He received an academic scholarship to Emma Willard’s School in Troy, NY at the age of 14. Ezra has a younger brother, Random,

Ezra has a younger brother, Ransom. He is survived also by his mother, Diane Meyer and father Jay Scott Hulett, as well as extended family members.

Ezra’s mother shared this story in his obituary: Note that there is one use of his assigned first name in the obituary and the inclusion of his feminized assigned middle name.

With a lifelong love of cats, Ezra was a surrogate parent to many cats in his life. Reprimanded in elementary school by the school counselor for wearing cat ears, Ezra chose to defy this by continuing to wear them and meowing whenever this counselor was nearby. A dear friend of his recently expressed how he was ‘a cat at heart, in their own mischievous, playful nature’ Ezra will be forever missed by friends and family, and so many others who were touched by his kind, wise, grounded, soft, sweet presence.

Ezra was described as kind, brilliant, funny, and an amazingly talented artist, he shared his creativity and imaginative aesthetic to all who knew him. He was a proud member of the Gender and Sexuality Resource Center (GSRC) at the University of Albany, the LGBTQ+ community, and most Albany coffee shops.

Ezra was very fond of cats.

A celebration of life is scheduled for Saturday, October 18, 2025 at 11am at William J. Burke & Sons Funeral Home in Saratoga Springs.

In lieu of flowers, please be kind to everyone in your life that has even a bit of a mental illness.

It is good, important to have insight into Ezra’s life. We need to understand him as more than a victim, but we cannot lose sight of the circumstances of his death. He was a victim of violent abusive immigration policies by the Dominican Republic. The conditions of his mental health are unclear, nor the details of his treatment.

As much as we need to know how the Dominican Republic allowed Ezra to be violated and abused, there are other details preceding his arrival that warrant answers. Why was he getting mental health treatment in Puerto Rico, not known for being a safe space for trans people? And it seems Ezra was not fluent in Spanish. And disappeared? Was taken? Had access to his passport? Ezra was legally an adult – did he make these choices? Was he in a space to make good decisions? What was his mental status when he went to Puerto Rico and when he then went to the Dominican Republic?

And what, if any, role did his identity as an intersex trans man play in all of this?

As some trans and queer folx consider relocating from the United States or even from the mainland 48 states, it is important that we monitor potential violence they might experience.

The family has a GoFundMe to help with the significant legal expenses to pursue an independent investigation.

What does this mean for TDoR? Well, an American intersex trans man died a violent death after reporting multiple sexual assaults in the facility they were held in a foreign country. We don’t yet know if Ezra was killed, intentionally or not. It is a terrible tragedy that should have been prevented by DR officials directing Ezra to an appropriate mental health facility and connecting him with the US Embassy immediately.

Or appropriately maintaining safe immigration detention facilities.

When you march for No Kings on Saturday, say Ezra’s name. That’s my wish. Hold his photo up where speakers address the crowd.

Rest in power, Ezra. I’m still paying attention to the story of your life and death.