I am an ally for all human life. I am bothered when acts of violence are done to anyone. Today is Transgender Day of Remembrance. It’s a day started over 20 years ago for Rita Hester. Hester was a transgender woman stabbed to death in 1998. Her murder remains unsolved. Across the world, there have been 350+ homicides of those who identify as Transgender this year alone. Each year, the numbers continue to rise more than they were in previous years.
Here in the U.S., most of the victims have been people of color, specifically Black transgender women. We know racism still exists in this country. But for transgender people there is hatred from those who look like them as well. You may have heard some of these stories in the news this past year, but today I want to highlight a few of them. Their lives mattered and they lost their life in the hands of someone who was not an ally of all human life.
Shannon Boswell, was a Black transgender woman who was shot and then run over in Stone Mountain, Georgia in July 2024. Her family had a difficult time reporting her killing in the process as it was initially ruled a hit and run. But the medical examiner’s report confirmed the gunshot wound, making the case a homicide.
Righteous TK “Chevy” Hill was a Black transgender man and entrepreneur. He owned a full-service hair salon that was LGBTQ+ friendly. He was shot multiple times by his cousin in front of his home in East Point, Georgia earlier this year.
Meraxas Medina was a 24-year-old Latina transgender woman found dead on the side of the road in Los Angeles earlier this year. Officials reported she too was shot and run over by a car.
In this country most of the cases happen in Southern states. Most of these cases go unsolved and forgotten by the public. And most of their deaths is the result of gun violence. Hopefully these stories of their deaths won’t be the only thing we remember. May we understand and remember them for the person they were before as detailed by their friends and family.