August 7, 1995

An auto accident happened on this date 18 years ago at the corner of 50th and C Streets in southeast Washington DC that would eventually get the attention of the nation and the world. 

It involved a 24 year old girl like us named Tyra Hunter who was headed to work at the time as a passenger in one of the vehicles.

She and the driver were pulled from the smoldering ruins of the car and a DC paramedic named Adrian Williams began to work on her until he cut her pants leg open to reveal a penis.

He stood up, backed away, made dehumanizing transphobic remarks and cracked transphobic jokes for five to seven critical minutes until an EMS supervisor arrived on the scene to resume her treatment.

She was taken to the now closed DC General Hospital where she died of blunt force trauma at 5:20 PM EDT.
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Transphobia killed Tyra Hunter.   Medical transphobia..

At the time this happened I was 16 months into my own transition.  I was horrified, shocked and angered by what happened to her.  Tyra's unnecessary death still bothers me to this day.

I think about Tyra often, especially on this day.   She would have been 42 this year had she not encountered an EMT who forgot that serving all the citizens of The District includes transgender ones, too and wonder how her would have evolved from that point had Adrian Williams done his duty.  . 

But the person I feel the most sorrow for today is Tyra's mother Margie Hunter.  She lost her child who should still be standing on this planet.   That 50th and C street corner would claim two more young Black trans lives seven years later on the date of Tyra's funeral.  

And sadly, on this date in 2013 we are still losing young Black transwomen to anti-trans hate and violence.

And I want it to stop.