The latest sister to prematurely join the ancestors is 30 year old Jazz Alford. The High Point, North Carolina resident was found on the floor of her second floor motel room shot to death by the housekeeping staff at the Kings Inn in Birmingham, AL on September 23.
As you probably guessed, the local media not only misgendered her in the initial reporting of the killing, but dead named her on top of it.
"She was such a loving person and we didn't know anybody who would want to kill her," said Toya Milan, Alford's sister who also happens to be a girl like us.
The Alford case was followed up by a 24 year old trans woman in the eastern Birmingham suburb of Homewood, AL being shot in the face October 3 during a home invasion robbery. The trans woman in that case is still at UAB Hospital, and she is recovering from her injuries at this time.
Alford's death now makes this the 22nd trans person slain in 2016. This also makes 2016 the deadliest year ever for US trans murders. It also keeps up the infuriating to me patterns of the majority of the victims being African American trans women, but being under age 40.
And yes, I blame the anti-trans rhetoric deliberately being thrown around by the Republicans for their political gain for the escalation of anti-trans violence.
I also have to ask the question when Black community, will our Black trans lives matter to you as much as cis Black ones do?
Rest in power and peace, Jazz. Your life was taken far too soon from those of us who loved you, and we will not rest until the person who took your life is brought to justice.
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