Deb, 60, is a Lesbian Who Wants to Preserve Western PA Gay History #AMPLIFY

Queer lesbian Elder

  Name: Deb Age: 60 County of Residence: I live in California now, but was born in Allegheny Co and raised in Clearfield County and went to college in Butler County Pronouns: her How do you describe your identity? Queer, lesbian Please describe your coming out experience. Where did you find support? What challenges did you face? I was home […]

Zoe Spears, 23, is the 10th Black Trans Woman Murdered in the US in 2019

Zoe Spears Transgender

The heartache of her friends and loved ones was raging throughout Facebook today. The news that 23-year-old Zoe Spears had been found by police responding to a welfare check just before midnight on Thursday, June 13 in the Fairmount Heights section of Prince George’s County, Maryland, close to the D.C. line. Zoe had sustained multiple […]

Chanel Scurlock, 23, is the 8th Black Trans Woman Murdered in 2019

Her name was Chanel Scurlock. She was 23 years-old. And this week she became the 8th Black transwoman to be murdered in 2019. Her body was discovered on Wednesday, June 5, outside Lumberton, North Carolina. Local law enforcement and media are dead naming and misgendering Chanel, resulting in ongoing challenges collecting the facts and finding […]

Paris Cameron, 20, was the 6th Black Trans Woman Murdered in the US in 2019

Paris Cameron

Over the Memorial Day weekend, I read about the death of a Black trans woman in a triple homicide in Detroit. From The Advocate: “Officers responded to a call at 5 a.m. in the 3400 block of Devonshire where an unknown gunman shot a 21-year-old man, a 20-year-old man and a 20-year-old woman. The two […]

Black Trans Woman Chynal Lindsey, 26, Slain in Dallas on First Day of Pride Month 2019

Chynal Lindsey Transgender

  Pride month begins with the tragic news of the discovery of the body of 26 year-old Chynal Lindsey in a Dallas lake. “Dallas police say a black, transgender woman whose body was pulled from White Rock Lake Saturday died of obvious homicidal violence.White Dallas police said a passerby called them at about 5:45 p.m. […]

Eli, 37, is a Queer Bisexual, Trans Man, and Small Business Owner #AMPLIFY

Trans Man Lawrenceville

  By telling our stories, we expose others to narratives they may not be familiar with. This includes reaching potential allies, and folks who are struggling with their sexual and gender identities, as well as those who feel isolated because of them. Name: Eli Shumaker Age: 37 County of Residence: Allegheny County, formerly Clinton, Centre counties Pronouns: He/Him […]

Michelle Washington, 40, of Philadelphia is 5th Black Trans Woman to be Murdered in 2019

Tameka Michelle Simone

Early Sunday morning, Michelle Washington (also known as Michelle Simone and Tameka) was found shot to death around 5 AM in North Philadelphia. Michelle is the third Black trans woman to die from gun violence in a five day period and the fifth Black trans woman to be murdered in 2019 in the United States. […]

Claire Legato, 21, of Cleveland is 3rd Black Trans Woman Murdered in the US in 2019

Claire Legato

Claire Legato was a 21-year-old Black trans woman living in Cleveland when she was shot  April 15 after an argument broke out between her mother and John Booth, the suspected shooter. She was taken to a nearby hospital and died from her injuries on May 14. A warrant has been issued for Booth. Claire was from […]

Muhlaysia Booker, 23, of Dallas is 4th Trans Woman Murdered in the US in 2019

Muhlaysia Booker

“This time, I can stand before you,” she added. “Whereas in other scenarios, we are at a memorial.” A Black transwoman in Dallas who survived a brutal attack just a month ago has died from a gun shot wound she sustained on Saturday. Police do not believe the incidents are connected, but haven’t ruled it […]

Anastasia, 55, is a Woman Who Identifies as a White Trans Lesbian in Pittsburgh #AMPLIFY

Pittsburgh transgender lesbian

I shouldn’t make presumptions about how folks would react: that I should be prepared for generosity as well as a negative reaction. After the decades of gaslighting, I still struggle to keep this in mind, but I do believe that there is a lot of good will among straight/cis people for the LGBTQ+ community. Name: Anastasia […]