Will There Be Justice for Kala Thomas? #SayHerName

Kala Thomas was 25 years old, raising four children as a single, working black mother in Garfield with the support of her extended family. On May 23, her body was discovered in the hillside behind her home. Her abandoned car was found the next day. Six weeks later, police have not identified any suspects. I […]

Her Name Was Kala Thomas

She was 25 years old and lived in the Garfield neighborhood in Pittsburgh’s East End. Her name was Kala Thomas. She was a mother to two sets of twins, according to WPXI. According to her Facebook page, one set are school aged and the youngest are just three months old. Oh, those sweet babies. Kala […]

RIP Chyna Gibson aka Chyna Doll Dupree, 31, Shot in New Orleans

Devastating news from New Orleans this Mardi Gras weekend as we learn about the murder of Chyna Gibson, known in the ballroom community as Chyna Doll Dupree.  From TransGriot New Orleans Police responded to a call Saturday night around 8:26 PM CST in the 4300 block of Downman Road and found the body of Gibson […]

Sometimes I Flinch

Earlier in the month, I had a little Facebook spat with another woman in a local progressive women’s group. She objected to my framing of the killing of Sean Hake and we went back and forth for a while. I had the impression she was connected to  law enforcement officer and was taking my analysis […]

Two Spirit Lakota Woman Jamie Lee Wounded Arrow Second Reported Trans Murder in 2017

Jamie Lee Wounded Knee

Just days after reporting on the first reported murder of a trans woman in 2017 and the updated last reported murder in 2016, I’m blogging again about another murdered trans woman of color. Jamie Lee Wounded Arrow was 28 years old, a member of the Oglala Lakota tribe and a resident of Sioux Falls, South […]

TWOC India Monroe Murdered on Dec 21 and We Just Found Out

India monroe trans

Less than 24 hours after learning about the first transgender person reported murdered this year comes word of a trans sister, India Monroe, who was murdered in December, but misgendered. From Mic.com A transgender Virginia resident known to friends as India Monroe was killed on Dec. 21 in Newport News, Virginia, though she was misgendered and […]

Mesha Caldwell of Mississippi is First Reported Trans Woman Killed in 2017

Mesha Caldwell Mississippi

Mesha was 41 years old, worked as a beautician and stylist in her hometown of Canton, Mississippi. According to her Facebook profile, Mesha had been a student at Jackson State University. Her friends describe her as stylish and someone who looked good in anything she wore. Her body was discovered at 3:45 PM along a […]

Update in the Murder of Pittsburgh Lesbian Shanique Saunders

Shanique Saunders Pittsburgh Black Lesbian

First, a clarification – Shanique’s surname had been originally reported as Sanders. Today, I realized that the reporting was changed to Saunders. I confirmed that Saunders is the surname of her mother. I am very sorry for the error and am working to determine where the original information was sourced. I honestly don’t know how […]

23 Year Old Black Lesbian Stud is Murdered in Pittsburgh’s Knoxville Neighborhood UPDATED

Pittsburgh Stud Shanique Sanders

Her name was Shanique Sanders.

Pittsburgh Stud Shanique Sanders
Shanique Sanders via Facebook
She was 23 years old and a resident of Homestead. Wednesday afternoon, she became the latest fatality in the epidemic of violence when her body was found at 1:45 PM on McKinley Street in the Knoxville neighborhood of Pittsburgh. She had been shot at least one time when she was found and transported to UPMC Mercy where she later died.

Shanique used the name Loyalty Fashigg in social media and self-identified as a stud, according to local LGBT activist Amber Sloan who was a friend and mentor to Shanique. Amber told me that Shanique was born in Garfield, grew up in Homewood and was a graduate of Westinghouse High School.

Her Name Was Dalia Sabae

Dalia Sabae

Her name was Dalia Elhefny Sabae. She was 28 years old. She was born in Egypt, spent some time living in Moscow and has lived in the United States. According to her Facebook and LinkedIN pages, Dalia was fluent in three languages – American English · Français ·Arabic and proficient in three others – Hebrew, Spanish and Russian. Arabic was her native language. She was also bisexual, interested in both men and women.

Dalia was a dancer. She had been an instructor and worked various jobs as she pursued her education. She earned a pharmacy degree in 2011 and was working on a master’s program through Washington & Jefferson College near her home. Dalia was a pharmacy intern at the time of her death.