Tuesday, August 11, 2009

Rest In Peace Stephanie and Ukea

Today is the anniversary of the brutal killings of transteens Stephanie Thomas and Ukea Davis.

They were best friends who did everything together. They were extremely close, transitioned at the same time after meeting at a local Washington organization for GLBT teens called SMYAL. They transitioned together and shared an apartment.

They also unfortunately died together in a hail of bullets on the same Washington DC street corner where transwoman Tyra Hunter had the fatal car accident that led to her death a few years earlier.

The perpetrators of this heinous crime have yet to be brought to justice, and I hope and pray that one day they are.

Rest in peace ladies. we will not rest until all transpeople are free to openly live their lives without the threat of violence hovering in the background.

We will never forget you ladies and all the other transpeople who have paid the ultimate price just to be who we are.

3 comments:

Janice said...

I feel ashamed to confess that I'd never heard of these two women until today. I've got tears in my eyes. Thank you for writing this, Monica.

Anonymous said...

Such beautiful, brave girls. There's no telling how much harassment and violence they had to endure up until this senseless end, but they still lived their lives true to themselves. R.I.P., I hope their families have found some solace and that their killers get the end they deserve.

Marti said...

Ya know, at the very least we remember their sacrifice, and mourn their death. I keep thinking about Gabrielle Pickett, sister of Chanel. It's rumored that she died, but no one knows for sure. It reminds me that there are transwomen that die and it goes unreported. That die without anyone caring. That die alone. And it makes me sick.