Motion To Deadname Muhlaysia Booker Denied

Andrew Wilkerson, the transphobic defense attorney for Edward Thomas, tried it. 


Knowing that his client is on videotape beating down Muhlaysia Booker into unconsciousness for $200, and knowing that there are witnesses to that hate crime, he tried injecting transphobia in the mix for the upcoming October 14 trial.

Wilkerson is cynically trying to get the April 12 assault by the 29 year old Thomas characterized as a fight between two men, instead of a man beating up a woman.

The 29 year old Thomas is charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, a second degree felony that if convicted, can get Thomas anywhere from 2 to 20 years in jail.

The attack left the 22 year old Booker with a broken wrist and a concussion.

Fortunately for us trans Texans, Judge Hector Garza (D) saw through this BS attempt to use a cynical variation of the trans panic defense in this trial.

Wilkerson is claiming that recognizing Booker as the female she was will 'prejudice the jury', and tried to have the name on the indictment changed to Booker's deadname.   Prosecuting attorneys argued that indictments can be amended to include aliases, and since Booker had been living as her true self for several years and answered to Muhlaysia, the court should honor that.

"Our position is one of respect," said lead prosecutor Jason Hermus to Judge Garza.

Wilkerson has been a serial transphobe in this case.   He also disrespected and misgendered Booker in a June 7 Facebook post, which led to Judge Garza issuing a gag order for both attorneys.

Judge Garza ruled that when this case goes to trial, the jury will hear the name Muhlaysia Booker, not her deadname.

Remember that trans Dallas when Judge Garza runs for reelection for the 195th Judicial District Court next March.

Edward Thomas Defense Attorneys Attacking Muhlaysia Booker's Femininity

Damn, we Black trans women can't get any respect in life or in death.

The news out of Dallas is that Edward Thomas, the waste of DNA who violently put his hands on the late Muhlaysia Booker back in April, will be going to trial in October for that assault in the 195th District Court of Texas.

Thomas was charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.   Even though Booker was murdered back in May, that video of the April 12 assault is still around on The Net along with all the witnesses to that violent attack on her.

So what do you do when you're faced with mounting evidence that your client attacked a trans woman?  Go for a cynical variation of the 'trans panic' defense and attempt to strip the trans woman of her femininity.

 The transphobic defense attorney in this case are objecting to the fact that prosecutors are asking Judge Hector Garza (D) to rule that the indictment can use Muhlaysia's name even though she hadn't changed it legally or on any identification documents.

The defense attorneys are using her dead name and disrespectfully referring to Muhlaysia as a man

"Pierre Booker is legally a male by gender. To name him 'Muhlaysia' Booker could have the jury wrongfully conclude that Pierre is female...This is prejudicial against our client ,who is male."

The defense attorneys are trying a variation of the trans panic defense to strip Muhlaysia of her femininity.  They hope they can stir up transphobia in the jury pool and get potential jurors to not see Booker as the woman she is.

It also feeds this dangerous for us and patently false meme that trans women are just 'men in dresses'.

The Edwards defense attorneys also fear that if Booker is seen as the woman she is, it won't go well for their client.   Society usually takes a less charitable view of any man who puts his hands on a woman, and the defense attorneys know that.

It is a despicable legal tactic by the defense attorneys.  Here's hoping that Judge Garza sees the same thing I see and rules in favor of Dallas County prosecutors when the defense motion has a hearing next week.

If he doesn't, I predict that Judge Garza is suddenly going to find himself being primary challenged in March 2020

In The 2019 BTAC Leadership Institute House

Last week I was in Philadelphia for Netroots Nation, now I've made another drive up I-45 with Dee Dee Watters and Diamond Stylz to attend the second annual BTAC Leadership Institute.

This time instead of having it in NOLA, we're having it in our headquarters city of Dallas.   Last year's event in New Orleans helped us tremendously in not only building a solid foundation for us to kick off our 2018-2019 programming year, it also had the benefits of allowing us to get to know each other better

We had a board meeting yesterday at the Wyndham Dallas Suites in which we discussed BTAC coalition business, our upcoming 2019-2020 programming year and fundraising to pay for it.

Today at the Wyndham Dallas Suites starts our two days of training to level up, and I'm looking forward to it.

Also looking forward to seeing and spending quality time this weekend with my BTAC family

Edward Thomas' Attorney Disrespects Muhlaysia Booker

Our crappy pride month continues with more info coming out of Dallas concerning the legal fallout from the videotaped April 12 assault on Muhlaysia Booker that landed Edward Thomas in the Dallas County Jail.

Thomas is being defended by attorney Andrew W. Wilkerson, who is big mad that his client is facing twenty years in a TDC facility for the videotaped hate assault on our departed sister.

This is the transphobic shyt he had to say on his Facebook page about it:

I’ll say this again, our condolences to the family of Pierre Booker. He was a human being, he was a person that was loved dearly by his family. He did not deserve to die. No one deserves to die. But our client had absolutely nothing to do with his death.

But this is ridiculous. The State is offering Edward Thomas twenty years for that fight in back Royal Crest Apartments a couple months ago. The State is offering twenty years for a fist fight, between two men, with no weaponsinvolved. Let that sink in. There was no knife, no gun, no brass knuckles, and nothing was picked up off the ground and used during the physical altercation. Furthermore, this was no hate crime, period. People who were there know that this all arose from an altercation after Pierre Booker rear ended Thomas’s friends vehicle and refused to exchange insurance information or rectify the situation in anyway. Are you surprised that the news didn’t tell you these details?? Don’t be😑.

No disrespect to anyone’s life style at all. It’s your decision. But when the law recognizes gender it’s based off one’s anatomy or biological make up if you will. So when dealing with the law you must realize that ones sexual preference/orientation has no bearing on his or her gender, a persons gender is based on his/her biological hardware or, plainly said, if a person has a penis, the law views him as a male and if a person has a vagina the law views her as a female. Ridiculously obvious to say, I know, but some of you facebookers seem to have the law a tad bit confused.

So, now that we’ve cleared that up, to offer a man twenty years for a fist fight with another man is unconscionable and shows no regard for his life or his future. Say what you want, but that ain’t justice, not even close. A man can literally wave a gun in another person’s face and not receive twenty years in prison, come on now. Call a spade a spade, this is beyond ridiculous

First off,  Miss Wilkerson, what you said is this jacked up post is not only loud and wrong, but your ignorant and scientifically illiterate rhetoric is why we have a major problem in Black America with anti-trans violence being visited upon trans individuals in Texas and elsewhere in the United States.

It was also straight up disrespectful to the memory of Ms Booker, her family, and all the people in the Dallas area who loved her.

Gender is between your ears, not your legs, and that is the overwhelming consensus of the scientific community and folks who have been doing the research for decades when it comes to transsexuality and gender identity.

Let me repeat it for you one more time so your willfully clueless azz gets it.  The genitalia between your legs is not the sole determinant of your gender identity.

Your client in a fit of transphobic and toxic Black masculinity, stuck his nose in somebody else's business and beat down a trans woman for $200.   He also by doing so, triggered the series of events that resulted in Muhlaysia Booker's death a month later.   

And can you accurately account for your client's whereabouts after he was released from the Dallas County Jail on bail days before Ms Booker was killed?

When your client beat a trans woman unconscious on that April 12 day to the point that several cis women had to step in and physically remove her from your client's flying fists as he uttered homophobic slurs, yeah Miss Attorney Thang, that's not a mere fight.   That's a hate crime that your waste of DNA client deserves jail time for.

One other thing.   Trans people live lives, not a lifestyle.  So miss me with that 'no disrespect' line because your entire comment was dripping with it and transphobic ignorance.   Calling a trans woman a man is the height of disrespect.

You need Jesus and some serious education about trans issues.  .You are also a disgrace to the proud tradition of attorneys from the Thurgood Marshall School of Law.

Now what's the phone number and the URL for the State Bar of Texas?

Number 7 Rest In Power Chynal Lindsey

I and the Texas trans community still haven't had time to regroup after laying Muhlaysia Booker to rest, and now a mere 24 hours after Dallas Pride happens, we are now having to say the name of another of our trans siblings gone far too soon in her young life.

We go back to Dallas for the second trans person they have had murdered there in 2019, the second in the state of Texas, and the seventh in the United States.

Meet 26 year old Chynal Lindsey.   She was born in Chicago, but lived here in the Lone Star State.  Her body was found in the White Rock Lake reservoir on June 1.

As I mentioned, she is the seventh trans person we have lost in the US to anti-trans violence.  All seven have been African American.   Five of the seven are under age 30.

As of yet,  haven't heard if there is going to be a memorial vigil or detail about funeral arrangements.  Dallas Police has called in the FBI on this case per reporting from David Taffet to determine whether or not this is part of a string of serial killings of trans women in the Dallas area.. 

Something else I haven't heard is the words 'Black trans lives matter' coming from the mouths of the Texas NAACP, which is headquartered in Dallas.

Rest in power and peace , Chynal.  We won't rest until the person who took your live is brought to justice.

     

My Muhlaysia Booker Post Funeral Thoughts

I traveled to Dallas on Memorial Day with Dee Dee Watters and Diamond Stylz to represent BTAC and the Black Transwomen .Inc (BTWI) board at Muhlaysia Booker's wake and funeral 

While I was being interviewed by CNN and having a TV camera follow us upon our arrival in Dallas, I did take a moment on the nearly 4 hour drive up from Houston to ponder this latest trans death.

There were things about it that were maddeningly familiar, and some that felt different this time.

Let's start with the familiar stuff.   Muhlaysia was at the time the fourth trans woman to die due to anti-trans violence in 2019.    She was just 22 years old and as we already depressingly know, a Black trans  woman.  She was also like someone else y'all know from Texas, unapologetic about it.

To add to the pain we were already feeling in Dallas, in Philadelphia and across Black Trans America, just before Dee Dee, Diamond and I headed up I-45 to be at Muhlaysia's wake and funeral came the news about Paris being killed in Detroit that Saturday.

Six Black trans women this year.  Four in the month of May alone.   We were also here in Dallas a year after Carla Pavon had been murdered a few miles from where the Cathedral of Hope sits

But this one felt different as well.   The last time I attended a funeral for one of our slain trans siblings was back in 2008 when I was living in Louisville.   That particular funeral was deeply personal because I knew Nakhia Williams and we worked for the same local security company.

Despite being active in trans rights work for a decade at the time, I wasn't as well known nationally as a trans advocate as I am now when walked into that funeral home and the Cathedral of Hope the next day.   TransGriot was only two years old at the time. 

This funeral had international news coverage, in large part because of the viral video of Muhlaysia being assaulted after a traffic accent just a month ago.   This funeral was attended by Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings and Dallas council members Omar Narvaez and Adam Medrano

We had people that came from New Orleans and Washington  to be in attendance.in addition to her Dallas and Texas trans family showing up and showing out in terms of their support for Muhlaysia and her family.

It was also nice to find out some interesting personal details about Muhlaysia.    She was an Eagle Scout.  We discovered that when members of her former scout troop showed up at the funeral home to pay their respects to her.   She was fun loving  and well liked by members of the Dallas trans community and people in Oak Cliff neighborhood.

Her mother told us that while Muhlaysia didn't like starting fights, she had no problem finishing them.

During the resolutions phase of the funeral, proclamations were read from Texas state Senator Royce West (D-Dallas), the city of Dallas, and the Texas House of Representatives from House Rep Jessica Gonzales (D-Dallas)    A few days earlier, Muhlaysia Booker's name had been spoken from the US House floor by Rep. Marc Veasey (D-Ft Worth)

It reminded me as I was sitting there listening to those resolutions being read, that the Texas Lege had gone sine die the day before.   HB 1513, which would have added trans Texans to the James Byrd Hate Crimes Act, was one of the bills that died when it was left pending in the House Criminal Jurisprudence Committee after an April 29 hearing in which I and other trans Texans pointed out why it needed to be passed.

Our sister Muhlaysia is now with the ancestors.   It's up to us left here to make certain that when the 2021 Texas legislative session kicks off, we do everything possible to add trans Texans to the Byrd Hate Crimes Act.    We also must ensure that the wastes of DNA who killed her are also brought to justice.

Muhlaysia Booker Wake Today

Headed to Dallas today with Dee Dee Watters and Diamond Stylz as representatives of BTAC and Black Transwomen, Inc to attend the wake and funeral of Muhlaysia Booker.

The wake is later this evening at the Golden Gate Funeral Home starting at 6 PM CDT, with the funeral service being moved to the Cathedral of Hope.

If you live in the Dallas-Fort Worth area and wish to attend the wake and or the funeral, the Golden Gate Funeral Home is located at 4155 S. RL Thornton Fwy in Dallas

The funeral will start at 11 AM CDT    The Cathedral of Hope is located at 5910 Cedar Springs Road.   You may wish to get there early because they are expecting a large crowd to attend this service.

BTAC Press Release Concerning The Muhlaysia Booker Murder

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 19, 2019
Contact Monica Roberts BTAC Media Chair 346-310-0824
Dee Dee Watters  BTWI President
855-255-8636 Ext 11
media@blacktranswomen.org

As a Dallas based organization, Black Trans Advocacy Coalition expressed our anger and dismay concerning the April 12 hate attack visited upon our sibling Muhlaysia Booker.   We were happy to hear that Dallas police arrested Edward Thomas in connection with that case, and are aware that the investigation into that transphobic mob attack on her is ongoing. 

This afternoon BTAC was shocked, angered, stunned and saddened to learn that the trans woman found dead Saturday morning in far east Dallas was positively identified as Muhlaysia Booker.

The 23 year old Booker was found shot to death in the 7200 block of Valley Glen Drive near the Tenison Park golf course.  As of yet there are no suspects in this case, and if you have any information that will lead to the arrest of the person or persons who killed our sibling, we urge you to call the Dallas Police Department.

BTAC wishes to express our sincere condolences to the family of Ms Booker and all the people who loved her.

Rest in power and peace, Muhlaysia.   You didn't deserve this.  BTAC is committed as an organization to do what we can as a organization and as members of this community to ensure that the perpetrators of this heinous crime are brought to justice.

One of the reasons why BTAC is extremely angry about this murder besides it happening in our headquarters city, is because back on April 29 Monica Roberts traveled to Austin immediately after the conclusion of our 8th annual conference to represent BTAC and testify in favor of HB 1513, a bill that would have added gender identity to the James Byrd Hate Crimes Act.

Unfortunately, after her testimony and the testimony of several other Texas trans people as to the necessity of us being covered in this hate crimes legislation, the bill was left pending in the House Criminal Jurisprudence Committee.  HB 1513 has died for this 2019 session. 

Now Muhlaysia has unfortunately joined the ancestors, and the negative message continues to be sent that it is open season on trans people in the Lone Star State and everywhere else in this country.

When will you care that our Black Trans Lives Matter?   When will Texas legislators right the wrong that occurred in the 1999 and 2001 legislative sessions that resulted in trans people being cut from the Byrd Hate Crimes Act?

When will you stop killing us?    When will other Black community organizations join BTAC in not only condemning this and other killings of Black trans people. but commit themselves to coordinated action in our Black community to eradicate anti-trans violence?

Number 3- Rest In Power and Peace Muhlaysia Booker

This latest report of a trans murder in 2019 is not only coming from my home state of Texas, it is shocking and mindnumbingly sad for me.

23 year old Muhlaysia Booker survived a brutal April 12 assault by a mob in an apartment complex in Dallas' Oak Cliff neighborhood.  Today it is my sad duty to report that Ms Booker was found shot to death Saturday morning by responding Dallas police officers at 6:40 AM CDT in the 7200 block of Valley Glen Dr. near the Tenison Park golf course in east Dallas.

Booker was pronounced dead at the scene due to 'homicidal violence'.   There are also no suspects as of yet in her murder.   I know where y'all can start looking, DPD.   How about every transphobic fool that was videotaped throwing blows at her on April 12? 

Rest in power and peace Muhlaysia. 

This one's personal to me, her loved ones, BTAC and every trans Texan.  As BTMI president Trenton Johnson said on my FB page, "They attack her in one month and then take her life the next!! This has to stop!"

I agree.  It needs to stop.  I want the waste of DNA who killed Muhlaysia to be expeditiously captured and brought to justice.

Booker is now officially the third trans person to die due to anti-trans violence in the US in 2019, and our first in the Lone Star State this year.  All three trans persons who have been killed in 2019 so far have been African American

This one infuriates me even more because it not only happened here in Texas, it is because of what happened to Booker back in April.   It also happens after HB 1513, a bill sponsored by Rep. Garnet Coleman that would have added trans people to the state's James Byrd Hate Crimes Act, died in the House State Affairs Committee committee for this session. 

What is really pissing me off is that we are still sorting out the fallout from the transphobic April 12 mob assault on her in Oak Cliff and were engaged in getting justice for her in that case. 

Now she's dead and her family is now planning her funeral.

I have to ask the question of the Texas NAACP and other organizations in the Black community not named Black Lives Matter or Black Trans Advocacy Coalition.   Do y'all even care about the lives of Black trans people, much less Black trans women?

Your silence, Texas NAACP tells me otherwise. 

If any memorial services are scheduled, I will pass that info along to you as I receive it.

BTWI Board Welcome For BTAC 2019

The BTAC conference welcome from the BTWI board....




See y'all tomorrow.

Getting On The Bus Early To BTAC 2019

Been waiting for this day ever since I sadly said goodbye to my BTAC family at the closing brunch last year and headed to the DART Downtown Transit Center to return home to Houston. 

This time I get to go much earlier than I usually do.   

It's time for me to be with my BTAC family again.  It's time for the eighth annual Black Trans Advocacy Conference that starts April 23 and runs until April 28.  It also serves as the kickoff to my extended birthday week celebration.   BTAC 2019 is already according to Espy Brown poised to smash last year's attendance record.

It's still not too late for y'all who are thinking about coming to join us at the Wyndham Dallas Suites-Park Central host hotel for what promises to be an empowering and life changing event..

And yeah, some of y'all need to be very afraid when Family Fun Day comes, because the BTAC Bonemaster is coming to take her dominoes title back from Kayla Gore.

But before we get to me administering domino beatdowns next Saturday and throughout BTAC week, I have a 4 hour bus trip ahead of me up I-45.   I also have the week of sessions, Trans Manifest Live, the keynote luncheon and the  Awards Gala to get through before we get to Family Fun Day. 

The reason I'm leaving today and not on the Monday before like I normally do is because my presence was requested for a Muhlaysia Booker rally happening later today.   I didn't see the logic in rolling up to Dallas, attending a rally doing th 4 hour trip back home and then repeating it 24 hours later when i could just simply stay in Big D a few extra days. 

Sure will be glad when Texas Central Railways FINALLY starts construction on the Houston-Dallas bullet train and that four hour nonstop bus trip turns into a 90 minute Shinkansen train ride.

But that 90 minute bullet train trip is in the near future.  Right now I have to make sure my statuesque behind gets to the downtown Houston MegaBus station in time for my departure to North Texas, especially after the late night I had with my OLTT fam.
 

One Week To BTAC 2019

It's T-7 days and counting until the 8th annual Black Trans Advocacy Conference takes place in Dallas April 23-28, and I can't wait.   It is shaping up to be our biggest and best ever, with the Friday awards gala already being sold out.

The best part of BTAC for me in addition to the fact that this conference centers Black trans and GNC people,  is that y'all get to come to my Texas turf and hang out for a week. 

Level UP-Elevate The Revolution is the theme for this years conference, and it will be an empowering and interesting week in Dallas for everyone in attendance.

And yes, I get to see you peeps from around the country.   I also get the pleasure of administering dominoes beatdowns at the  Family Fun Day on Saturday.and during the week in the hospitality suite. at the host hotel.

You have been warned.

But on a serious note, we are gathering in Dallas literally days after the horrific hate attack on our sibling Muhlaysia Booker, and there will be some discussion about that at our community summit along with other topics.

I am so ready for this week to be over with so I can witness what's happening at this 8th annual edition of the Black Trans Advocacy Conference..

Arrest Made In Dallas Trans Hate Attack

Gotta love the Dallas Police Department swiftly handling their business and catching one of the perps involved in the Muhlaysia Booker hate attack.

29 year old Edward Thomas was arrested last night by DPD.   They are continuing to canvass the Oak Cliff neighborhood for other participants and witnesses to the hate crime that happened on Friday.

Meanwhile Booker is recovering at home from her injuries suffered in the attack.   She was knocked unconscious during the assault and was dragged to safety by several cis women.

Muhlaysia's father Peirre Booker spoke to a local Dallas television station about how upset and angry he was about what happened to his daughter.





Here's hoping that the Dallas Police Department not only finds all of the wastes of DNA involved, but the Dallas County DA prosecutes them to the fullest extent of the law to send a message that violence aimed at trans people will not be tolerated.

One Month To BTAC 2019

One month from now, me and a few hundred friends and BTAC family members will gather in Dallas, TX once again for the 8th annual Black Trans Advocacy Conference and Awards Gala.

The theme this year is Level Up! Elevate The Revolution

BTAC 2019 will be taking place once again at the Wyndham Dallas Suites Park Hotel in North Dallas, and I'm looking forward to spending a week there to recharge, reconnect with my BTAC family, bask in the wisdom of my trans elders, get my learn on, and dish out some well deserved domino butt kickings.

I'm also looking forward to the other events that are part of a BTAC conference in the Trans Manifest Live, the Mr, Ms and for the first time Mx Black Trans International Pageant, the Awards Gala, our Family Day and the Black Diamond Ball..

And oh yeah, it's the kickoff to my birthday celebration week.

I also want to challenge my Houston area Black trans siblings to show up in numbers to meet your Black trans siblings from around the country and the world.

Still not too late for you to join us in Dallas for this conference, and if you need information as to how you can join us or be a sponsor of the event, check out btac.blacktrans.org for further info.

Hope to see y'all there in four weeks.

Dale Hansen Calls Out Jerry Jones Anthem Hypocrisy

"The young, black athletes are not disrespecting America or the military by taking a knee during the anthem. They are respecting the best thing about America. It’s a dog whistle to the racists among us to say otherwise.

They, and all of us, should protest how black Americans are treated in this country. And if you don’t think white privilege is a fact, you don’t understand America."
-Dale Hansen, September 2017 

As someone who lives on the southern end of I-45 and unapologetically roots for every Houston sports team, I've always had my hate on for the Dallas Cowchips.  One NFL game I'll definitely be watching in this 2018 season is on October 7 when my beloved Texans play the Cowchips in a nationally televised game at NRG Stadium 

It's not about as Cowchip fans like to crow Houston envy for their Super Bowl titles they won in the last century, but their faith based arrogance in running with the 'America's Team' moniker bestowed upon them by NFL Films.

And Jerry Jones has given me more ammo to despise them with. 

Despite the fact the NFL Players Association and the NFL are currently in talks to come to a happy medium on the anthem protests, Jones decided to kiss Trump's anus and declare along with his son Stephen Jones that Cowboys players would not be allowed to sit in the locker room during the anthem.    He also declared that any Cowboys player who protests during the anthem will be fined or cut from his team. 

But Jerry loves America so much that when the anthem was played before a Cowchip practice last Saturday, he left his cap on.   When told about his mistake, he left it on anyway.

Dale Hansen made an eloquent statement last year in one of his Hansen Unplugged segments concerning why the NFL anthem protests are happening. 

Here's Hansen again calling out Jerry Jones' anthem hypocrisy

Moni's On KNON-FM's Lambda Weekly Tomorrow!

Been a while since I was on Lambda Weekly, the radio show hosted by David Tafet, lerone Landis and the late Pati Fink on KNON-FM 89.3 in Dallas.

I get to do the show again at 1 PM CDT tomorrow.

For those of you who don't live in the Dallas-Fort Worth area or the broadcast range of KNON-FM, you can hear the show by going to the website and listening to the livestream of it  or downloading the phone app and listening to it that way.

No matter what way you do so, hope you tune in for it .

Rest In Power Nicole Hall

As many of you TransGriot readers are aware of, the severely decomposed body an unidentified Black trans woman was pulled out of White Rock Creek in Dallas on May 12.

In order to facilitate identification of our losts trans sister, the Dallas PD created a sketch of our trans sister in order to get public assistance in identifying the body.

Dallas PD asked anyone who had information that would help identify her to contact Detective Chaney with the DPD Homicide Unit at 214-671-3650

Our sis has finally been identified, and her name is Nicole Hall.   She was 39

The Dallas County Coroner has not yet determined a cause of death, so we can't officially call this a murder until that official determination is made by the coroner. 

Nicole was a Dallas native and involved in the local Dallas trans community.according to her longtime friend Shannon Walker. 

As we wait for the cause of death determination, a memorial vigil is being planned for Nicole that will take place on Saturday at 7 PM, with a location to be determined .

A Gofundme  has also been set up for her.  he goal is to raise $900 for her final expenses for transport, cremation and an urn for her ashes. .

Rest in power and peace Nicole.

BTWI Statement On The Trans Murders In Dallas and Atlanta

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 17, 2018
Contact: Monica Roberts BTWI Media Chair
Carmarion Anderson  BTWI Founding National DirectorDee Dee Watters BTWI Board Chair 
855-255-8636 Ext 11media@blacktranswomen.org

We at Black Transwomen, Inc are dismayed and saddened about the murders of our trans siblings occuring in our headquarters city of Dallas, TX and in Atlanta, GA where we have a BTMI chapter.

Our condolences and warm thoughts go out to the friends and families of Carla Patrica Flores-Pavon, the still unidentified Black trans sister whose body was pulled out of White Rock Creek on May 12, and Nino Fortson.

The Dallas County Medical Examiner's Office is still working to ascertain the cause of death for our unidentified sibling, and once that is determined we will pass that information along as quickly as we receive it.

We also mourn the untimely passing of our Latinx sister Carla Pavon, and thank Ana Andrea Molina and the Organizacion Latina de Trans en Texas (OLTT) for the opportunity to be present at the vigil organized by OLTT for Ms Pavon at the Cathedral of Hope on May 13.

Ms. Pavon was the ninth trans person we have lost to anti-trans violence in the US, and we join OLTT in expressing our desire for the swift capture, prosecution, and punishment of the person who killed Carla so that justice can be served for her family and all who loved her.   

BTWI leadership has been working in close cooperation with the Dallas Police Department to help get accurate information out as expeditiously as possible in these cases.  We are diligently working to ensure that we identify our sister so that the investigation into her death can commence and the perpetrator can be brought to justice. 

In Nino Fortson's case, there are many members of our Atlanta BTMI-BTWI family who knew Nino  personally and are devastated after hearing the news of his tragic May 13 murder.

Fortson was unfortunately the tenth trans person and first trans masculine person killed in 2018, and we mourn his loss as well.   Our transmen also face anti-trans violence aimed at them, and his murder is an unfortunate reinforcement of that reality. 

We at BTWI along with our BTMI brothers in Atlanta and beyond are hoping that the perpetrator of our fallen brother's May 13 murder is swiftly captured and punished for his crime.

Number 10? Deceased Black Trans Woman's Body Found In Dallas

Turns out while I and Ana Andrea Molina were in Dallas over the weekend for Carla Pavon's vigil, a few miles away from where I was staying on Saturday they were fishing the body of a deceased Black trans woman out of White Rock Creek 

At 7:30 PM CDT on May 12 a kayaker called Dallas PD to report a body in the creek near the 6900 block of Merriman Parkway in Lake Highlands that Dallas Fire- Rescue officials pulled from the creek.

The person in question was 5'3' and weighed 130 pounds.  Body was in a severe state of decomposition, and wearing a black t-shirt and black scrub pants with no tattoos or identifying marks on the body

Dallas PD is seeking the help of the public in identifying this person since the body didn't match the description of any current missing person's cases. 

If you have information regarding the identity of this individual, please call Detective Chaney with the DPD Homicide unit at 214-671-3650

The death is currently classified as an unexplained one pending cause of death determination from the Dallas County Medical Examiner's Office.

It has not been classified by DPD or a Dallas County Medical Examiner as a homicide yet. 

If that happens, she would become the 10th trans person we have lost to anti-trans violence in the US, the sixth Black trans person we've lost in 2018 and the second in Texas this year.

And yes, Texas Republican Party, your anti-trans rhetoric is responsible for this happening.

First let's get this sister identified as expeditiously as possible, so that we can then focus on the task of obtaining justice for her .

Vigil For Carla

It would have been nice to not have to spend Mother's Day having to memorialize another one of our fallen trans sisters, but unfortunately that's exactly what we found ourselves doing today in the International Peace Chapel on the campus of the Cathedral of Hope.

It was organized by the Organizacion Latina de Trans en Texas (OLTT) ED Ana Andrea Molina, which has a chapter in the DFW area .

I was invited to speak during this vigil which had Dallas City councilmembers Omar Narvaez and Adam Medrano in attendance, Dallas PD assistant chief David Pughes, Cathedral of Hope senior pastor Rev Neil Cazares-Thomas, Pastor Yinessa Romera and Carla's mother.

In addition to remarks from Rev Cazares-Thomas, Ana Andrea Molina, and Chief Pughes, there were musical selections performed in honor of Carla.

I had an opportunity to briefly talk to Carla's mom's, and she thanked the community for remembering her daughter that she loved dearly. 

I wish I'd gotten a chance to meet Carla.   But unfortunately that's not going to happen.   All we can do now is ensure that Carla and her family receives justice.