During the Past 18 Months, Five BIPOC Trans and Nonbinary People Have Been Killed in Atlanta: Righteous Torrence ‘Chevy’ Hill, 35, is the Most Recent

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 […]

Black Trans Woman Rasheeda Williams Killed in Atlanta

35-year-old Black trans woman Rasheeda Williams was shot and killed in Atlanta on Tuesday, April 18, 2023. Rasheeda was a performance artist known as Koko Da Doll and Hollywood Koko Police reports indicate a person was found dead near a shopping plaza in southwest Atlanta. They confirmed a person was found shot to death at […]

Autistic Asian-American Teen Trans Woman Kathryn Newhouse Murdered by Her Father in Georgia

On Saturday March 19, 2022, a 19-year-old Asian-American autistic trans woman living with mental illness issues was murdered by her father in their family home. Her father then died by suicide using the same gun. Her name was Kathryn (Katie) Newhouse. A native of Illinois, Kathryn was most recently living with her family in Canton, Georgia. […]

Trans People Are Relevant

Matthew Spampinato

Yesterday, a family friend of Matthew Spampinosa left a comment on this blog post about his death. I was appalled enough to draft a message in response to her, but my gut tells me she isn’t going to hear me. So I opted to share my thoughts with you. After all, just today Georgia introduced […]

Black Trans Woman Serenity Hollis, 24, Killed in Albany, Georgia

Serenity Hollis

Note: this post originally listed the wrong date, a date in the future. The correct date is May 8, 2021. I apologize for the confusion.  Serenity Hollis, a 24-year-old Black trans woman, was murdered in Albany, Georgia on Saturday, May 8, 2021. Her family believes it may have been a hate crime and local police […]

36-year-old Latina Trans Woman Sophie Vasquez Killed in Atlanta Suburbs

May 4, 2021 is now the deadliest day of the year 2021 with three transgender or gender-nonconforming persons murdered. Sophie Vasquez was a 36-year-old transgender Latina living in Atlanta. Her death is the third on that date, alongside Danny Henson in Baltimore and Whispering Wind Bear Spirit in York, Pennsylvania. From Project Q: Sophie Vasquez […]

Black Trans Woman Bianca ‘Muffin’ Bankzy Murdered in Atlanta

Muffin Bankz

From Planettransgender comes word of the death of yet another young Black trans woman.   Bianca “Muffin” Bankz was 31 years old.     Bianca “Muffin” Bankz a trans woman of color was found murdered in her apartment Sunday, January 17, 2021. Details surrounding her death are murky, but friends say but that her life was taken […]

Trans Teen Bonaire “Bonnie” Black Died in Atlanta on New Years Eve 2020

Bonaire Bonnie Black

Bonnie was born in Savannah and moved to Atlanta at age 17 to find her way in the world. Being misgendered and deadnamed in her obituary perhaps hints at why she made that decision. She spent two years working to find housing and employment with the support of Covenant House.  On December 31, she was […]

40-Year-Old Black Trans Woman Found Dead in Athens, Georgia Parking Lot

Kimberely Cope

Will Raphael Warnock and Jon Osoff say her name and speak out loudly about the myriad of oppressions Black trans women in Georgia experience? 

Black Gender Nonconforming Teen Shot to Death in Alabama

Jaheim Pugh Bella

This is complicated story about identity, but it is a story that must be shared within that complexity because it also reflects the consequences of intolerance and hate in our society. The victim who was murdered in this story was a 19 year old young adult who was identified by friends as using both he/him […]