Still trying to process the sad news that Cheryl Courtney-Evans has passed away. The award winning Atlanta based advocate was one of the co-founders of the Atlanta based organization TILTT (Transgender Individuals Living Their Truth), worked with the SNaP Coalition, and was a blogger commenting on issues affecting the ATL community at A Bitch For Justice.
I'd known Cheryl for a few years online before I finally met and spent some quality time with her during the 2012 Trans Faith In Color Conference that I was a keynote speaker for in Charlotte.
I enjoyed having dinner with her and Diamond Stylz (who I was also meeting for the first time at that event) as she expressed her thoughts about being one of mine and Diamond's trans elders, along with the changes she'd seen since her 1968 transition at age 16.
This is Diamond's interview with Cheryl.
From time to time since I knew she was having some health challenges recently, I made it a point to call and check on her to see how she was doing at regular intervals, and I'm so thankful not only for those opportunities I did get to talk to her, I'm so happy I did this 2011 TransGriot Ten Questions interview with her.
This is a more recent January 22 interview Raquel Willis conducted with Cheryl.
As soon as I have information from my ATL area contacts concerning a memorial service for her, I'll pass that along as a soon as I receive it.
She lived up to the name of her blog in fighting for justice in the Atlanta area and beyond, and I'm going to miss the conversations we had about a lot of subjects. I, the Atlanta and national trans community and all who loved you are going to miss you.
Rest in Power and Peace, Cheryl, and hug all the ancestors who have moved on for us.
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