June 13, 2017
Contact Monica Roberts BTWI Media Chair
Carmarion D. Anderson BTWI Founding National Director
855-255-8636 Ext 11
media@blacktranswomen.org
For the 12th time this year, we at Black Transwomen, Inc must release a statement regarding the murder of another African-American trans woman.
We are also saddened to note that the latest murder has happened in Texas.
As a Texas based organization, Black Transwomen, Inc is and continues to be adamantly opposed to the transphobic SB 6 and HB 2899 bills proposed by the Republican controlled Texas Legislature, and were deeply concerned about the anti-trans rhetoric and outright lies being uttered by Texas conservatives in order to pass this unjust legislation.
We wondered when the anti-trans animus being fomented in our state would result in one of our Texas trans people being murdered.
The answer to that question was April 9, when the body of 27 year old Kenne McFadden was found floating in the San Antonio River near its world famous Riverwalk as many of us were up in Austin fighting those transphobic bills.
But because Kenne was misgendered by the San Antonio media, we are just now finding out about our lost sister two months after the fact..
We at Black Transwomen, Inc. our brother organization Black Transmen, Inc, the Black Trans International Pageantry System and Black Trans Advocacy express our deepest condolences to Kenne's family and everyone who loved her.
We are also beyond tired of this ongoing pattern of media misgendering of trans murder victims that happens far too often to trans women of color.
Kenne is the 12th trans woman we have lost to anti-trans violence in 2017, and 11 of the twelve US murder victims have been African American. Native American Jamie Lee Wounded Arrow of South Dakota is the only (so far) non Black trans person killed.
What also continues to sadden us at Black Transwomen, Inc is that nine of the dozen souls we have lost to anti-trans hate are under age 40.
Kenne's case has been reclassified as a homicide by the San Antonio Police Department and we are pleased to note there is a person of interest already incarcerated on other charges who is a suspect in this case.
We pray that if this currently incarcerated person is indeed the perpetrator of the crime, that justice will be expeditiously served.
Rest in power and peace, Kenne.
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