The Tragic Killing of Jasmine Sierra, 52, TWOC from Bakersfield CA

Jasmine Sierra Trans

A complicated tragic story involving the death of a trans woman of color in Bakersfield, California. From The Advocate: Police found the body of Jasmine Sierra, a transgender woman of color, on January 22 in an apartment on the 1000 block of Monterey Street, according to a report from local TV station KBAK. Police say […]

Arrest in the Murder of Philly Trans Woman of Color, Maya Young

Maya Young Philadelphia

Police have made at least one arrest in the murder of Maya Young, a 25 year old trans woman of color who was stabbed to death in February.  From Philly.com – NOTE that Maya is misgendered and her old name and criminal history are disclosed without any clear connection to her murder. Tiffany E. Floyd, […]

Black Trans Man Demarkis Stansberry, 30, Killed in Baton Rouge

Demarkis Stansberry

From The Advocate comes the tragic news of the murder of Demarkis Stansberry: Demarkis Stansberry, a 30-year-old black man of transgender experience, was fatally shot Saturday in Baton Rouge, La. Stansberry was shot in the head by 24-year-old Nicholas Matthews, reports local newspaper The Advocate. Matthews reportedly turned himself in to local police the day of […]

Monica Loera, 43, First Trans Woman Murdered in 2016

Trans murder

Very sad news from Austin, Texas. A 43 year old transgender woman was murdered earlier in the month. From TransGriot According to the Austin Police Department, 43 year old Monica Loera was engaged in a conversation with a man in front of her home along the 300 block of East Powell Lane in north Austin […]

Zella Ziona, 21 of Maryland, Most Recent Trans Woman of Color Murdered

Zella Ziona Transgender

More heartbreaking news, this time from Gaithersburg, Maryland where 21-year-old Zella Ziona became the 22nd transgender woman to be murdered in the US during 2015. A witness told ABC7 he saw the victim, identified as Zella Ziona of Montgomery Village, surrounded by four or five teenagers. There was an argument, then he says one of […]

Another TWOC Murdered in Kansas City Missouri, #SayHerName Jasmine Collins

Transwoman Murder

Reporters covering the murder of TWOC Tamara Rodriguez in Kansas City have brought to light another death that occurred on June 23 but went unacknowledged because of misgendering. 32-year-old Jasmine Collins was stabbed to death, allegedly over a pair of shoes. From The Advocate: Police in Kansas City, Mo., tellThe Advocate that a 32-year-old trans […]

Tamara Dominguez Is Most Recent Trans Woman Murdered in 2015

Tamara Dominguez Trans

The week of August 9, 2015 may be one of the worst in LGBTQ history, specifically transgender history. This past ten days saw the actual death OR discovery of the death of six transgender women of color. The sixth sister lost to this horrifying epidemic was Tamara Dominguez of Kansas City, Missouri. She was 36. […]

Body of Missing TWOC Elisha Walker Found in North Carolina

Angel Elisha Walker

Friday, authorities in North Carolina announced that they had discovered the body of 20-year-old Elisha Walker, a trans woman of color who had been missing since The body of Elisha Walker, a 20-year-old transgender woman who had been missing for almost a year, was found in a “crude grave” in Johnston County, North Carolina. According […]

Kandis Capri Murdered in Phoenix, 3rd TWOC Death Reported This Week

Kandis Capri transgender

Late late night, I learned from my Facebook friend Monica Jones that a trans woman had been killed in Phoenix. Her name was Kandis Capri and she was 35 years old. Few details are available, but an account in The Guardian describes a domestic altercation involving Kandis’ housemate. Note, the Guardian interviews her mother who […]

Andre Gray Would Be 35 This Saturday #StoryOfHisLife

Pittsburgh Bisexual

  I can’t remember how we celebrated my 35th birthday (in 2005), but I’m relatively sure it involved dinner with Ledcat and probably my parents or friends. I’m sure there was cake and singing. Probably my then-coworkers gave me a card and treated me to lunch. The things that you do. Looking back, I’d tell […]