These Are the Trans People Killed ... So Far ... in 2016

In the first five months of 2016 there have been 10 transgender people murdered in this country … one about every fifteen days that we hear about.

Almost all of the victims were people of color, and the vast majority were black transgender individuals.

That’s why we continue to call out, to say their names, to remind people of what is an epidemic of transphobic violence. We shouldn’t be waiting until November 20, the annual Transgender Day of Remembrance, to commemorate the trans lives lost due to fear and ignorance and hate.

Last year was the deadliest on record for transgender Americans, with at least 21 trans women killed in this country alone; this number does not include individuals whose deaths were not reported or investigated, or victims who were cisgendered by police and media or simply not recognized as trans women in death. 

Sadly, 2016 seems on track to see more trans women, and trans men, murdered in this country.

Say.Their.Names.

Tyreece “Reecey” Walker ...

... was stabbed to death on May 1.

Police arrested a 16-year-old boy, whose name has not been released, in connection with the crime. He is expected to be charged as a juvenile. 

Keyonna Blakeney ...

... was found murdered in a room at a Red Roof Inn in Rockville, Maryland.

So far there are no suspects.

Shante Isaac ...

... was stabbed to death on April 10 in Houston, Texas.
The murders has not been deemed a hate crime.

Quartney Davia Dawsonn-Yochum ...

... was shot and killed On March 23 in the Skid Row area of downtown Los Angeles.

The alleged gunman, a man in his 20s believed to be Yochum's ex-partner, shot her in the head during an apparent dispute; she was pronounced dead at the scene.

Demarkis Stansberry ...

... a 30-year-old black man of transgender experience, was shot to death on February 27 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

The suspect told police he shot Stansberry by accident, believing his gun to be empty.
The fatal shot was fired into Stansberry's skull at point-blank range.

Maya Young ...

... was stabbed to death February 20 in Philadelphia.

There are no suspects in her murder.

Veronica Banks Cano ...

... was found dead in a bathtub in a motel on February 19 in San Antonio.
Police have no information about a possible suspect, motive, or cause of death.

Kayden Clarke ...

... was shot to death in his home in Mesa, Arizona by two police officers in February.

Clarke suffered from Asperger syndrome, and from a history of physical and sexual abuse as a child that left him suicidal. 

Heather Allen, the founder of HALO Animal Rescue, where Clarke had volunteered called the police and asked them to perform a wellness check on Clarke. When police arrived at Clarke’s home, despite “carrying stun guns,” officers opened fire on Clarke. 
He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Jasmine Sierra ...

... was found dead in an apartment in Bakersfield, California last January. Her death was not initially included in preliminary tallies of trans people killed this year because local media misidentified her by using her male name and male pronouns, a process trans advocates denounce as disrespectful "deadnaming" and misgendering. 

Monica Loera ...

... was fatally shot January 22. 
Police arrested 29-year-old Jon Casey Rowell, who was subsequently charged with the murder.

This is an epidemic; trans women are being murdered at the rate of one every two weeks in this country, and yet this goes unspoken while we discuss trans women in bathrooms.

#SayTheirNames

The Advocate