TDOR 2014 Musings

TransGriot Note: A TDOR post I composed for the Task Force blog

Today is the 15th anniversary of the Transgender Day of Remembrance, which was conceived by Gwen Smith in response to the misgendering in gay and straight Boston media to the November 28, 1998 murder of of African-American trans woman Rita Hester.

As of this writing, Hester's killer has yet to be apprehended, and Smith organized a vigil that happened in San Francisco and Boston in 1999, and it didn't take long for the TDOR to go national and eventually international    

This TDOR 2014 finds me as one of the people still around that noted when the initial TDOR started in 1999 and has participated in TDOR events in Long Island, NY, Louisville, San Antonio, and Houston to reflect upon how this event has grown over the past 15 years.   

The TDOR is a time that remember our lost trans brothers and trans sisters that were tragically taken away from us from November 21 of the previous calendar year to November 20 of this year.  

One of the things that really angered me this year in addition to the 11 trans people we lost in the United States and all of them were trans women of color.  One  one of our lost sisters was just 8 years old.   Many of our fallen sisters predominately POC's under age 40, and Brazil continues to be unfortunately the world leader in trans murders.

But shifting back to the TDOR. it is an opportunity for the trans community to raise awareness that we exist and these murders are happening.  It gives us an opportunity to partner with our allies, community build, grieve for our dead, and steel ourselves for the ongoing task to ensure that we do the necessary work to make the TDOR's unnecessary.   Many locales also wrap trans educational events around the TDOR memorials.   Some are sponsored by churches, or take place on college campuses.

The work that we need to do to create that better world that will hopefully make TDOR's unnecessary is to educate people about trans lives.   We advocate for trans human rights protective laws at the local, state and federal level to drive home the message that we are part of this community, too.

We agitate for effective policing when our people are murdered.   We push for swift capture of the perpetrators of anti-trans violence, and when they are captured by law enforcement, stiff punishments while educating the law enforcement community how to respectfully treat deceased and living trans people  We also insist from the media respectful treatment of our deceased brothers and sisaters as they comer these stories.  

TDOR's are not just for the dead and all the people who loved and treasure their memories.  They are more for the living/   The Transgender Day of Remembrance reminds us on one level that there but for the grace of God go us, and that we never forget the people whose lives were tragically take.   It also is a powerful exhortation to do all that we can in  conjunction with our allies to advance the human rights of the trans community at large and make a better world for ours and future generations of trans people.

Houston TDOR 2014 Events

Like everywhere else on the planet, H-town and our TBLG community will be memorializing our fallen trans sisters with events scheduled around the official November 20 Transgender Day of Remembrance.

Resurrection MCC is hosting the third of a series of four Wednesday events facilitated by Houston trans community educator and activist Lou Weaver entitled Transformations:  Honoring Trans Awareness Month

The previous panels took place on November 5 and 12, with the final one after today's event taking place on December 3.

The panels are being facilitated by Weaver, and this empowering series of workshops is in honor of Trans Awareness and Ally Month!

Joined by wonderful guest presenters and co- sponsored by such ground- breaking community organizations as TENT and Equality Texas, Lou will host this enriching series featuring trans storytelling, advocacy training, and community healing! We begin with Gender 101 and conclude the Wednesday following Transgender Day of Rememberance. Networking encouraged!

They will be in the Resurrection MCC Gathering Place starting at 7:00 PM, and the church is located at 2025 W. 11th St.  You can email RevKristen@ResurrectionMCC.org for further information.

Also happening tonight is a TDOR event organized by activist Dee Dee Watters at the Progressive Open Door Christian Church. 

The POD will celebrate the lives of our fallen transgender sisters and brothers. This night will include spoken word, poetry and much more followed by refreshments.

What is the Transgender Day Of Remembrance (TDOR)?

The Transgender Day of Remembrance serves several purposes. It raises public awareness of hate crimes against transgender people, an action that current media doesn’t perform.

Day of Remembrance publicly mourns and honors the lives of our brothers and sisters who might otherwise be forgotten. Through the vigil, we express love and respect for our people in the face of national indifference and hatred. Day of Remembrance reminds non-transgender people that we are their sons, daughters, parents, friends and lovers. Day of Remembrance gives our allies a chance to step forward with us and stand in vigil, memorializing those of us who’ve died by anti-transgender violence.

We'd love to see you and a friend there!

I'll be speaking at it, and the event starts at  7:00 PM.  The POD is located at 3530 Wheeler Street in the shadows of the Texas Southern University campus.  

Dee Dee Has also organized a Transgender Day of Resources event at the Montrose Center that will take place November 23 from 10:00 AM CST to 4:00 PM

Wanna get on Hormones (HRT)? Wanna get your Name Changed? Wanna get Plastic Surgery? Do you have questions about being transgender or gender non confirming? Join me at Transgender Day Of Resources & Healthy Living!

Free giveaways! Free Consultations! Free Screenings! Free Workshops! Please RSVP to get your Free lunch! RSVP is not required to attend the event and get free service this is for ALL Transgender Men, Transgender Women and Gender Non Confirming persons no matter one's race, age, financial status!

Here's the link see you there please tell all transgender and gender non confirming persons about this event its Free! Free! Free!
Please tell a friend!

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/transgender-day-of-resources-healthy-living-tickets-13981008573

And finally the HTUC TDOR event will take place on November 22 on the UH main campus.  It will be in the AD Bruce Religion Center starting at 7 PM

It kicks off with a reception and social gathering with refreshments provided by HRC Houston with the TDOR program following at 8 PM  with opening remarks, a choir performance, and scheduled speakers. Names, locations, and a short description of each trans-hate murder from the last year is then read.

And Now There Are Eleven- RIP GIzzy Fowler

And with  the November 20 TDOR date looming, it is my sad duty to inform you that  we've lost another transsister to anti-trans violence.

This time we go to Nashville, TN and its north side Bordeaux neighborhood for the latest sister we will be memorializing on November 20.   Her name was Gizzy Fowler, and the 24 year was found shot to death in a private driveway at 3904 Lunn Drive.

Fowler's body was lying next to the open door of her car, a white 2006 Buick LaCrosse on November 12.  Neighbors reported to Nashville PD hearing a gunshot around 4 or 5 AM CST, and were prompted to call the police because the homeowner had recently passed away due to natural causes..

Fowler is now the  eleventh trans woman of color since June to be murdered in the US, with the most recent one being Ashley Sherman in Indianapolis.    And as you probably guessed, the Nashville media did a piss poor job in initially covering the story.

Anyone with information concerning this killing has been asked to call Crime Stoppers at 74-CRIME, or through an electronic tip by texting the word “CASH” along with the message to 274637 (CRIMES) or online at www.nashvillecrimestoppers.com

Rest in Peace Gizzy!   Know that your trans brothers and trans sisters, and all who loved you will not rest until the person who committed this crime is captured and swiftly brought to justice.

TDOR 2014- Who We're Remembering

As noted from time to time as you've perused these electronic pages, I have also covered the deaths of our fallen sisters as they have happened.  

The date is rapidly approaching in which we pause to remember all the trans women around the world we have lost to anti-trans violence from November 21, 2013 to November 20 of this year. 

Let us continue to work for and pray for a  time in which trans human rights will be an unchallenged reality and a time in which the Transgender Day of Remembrance events are no longer necessary.   But until that day comes, let us remember our sisters who were killed because someone hated them enough to do so. 

May the people who committed these heinous crimes be swiftly captured and brought to justice. May the grieving families and loved ones of the departed see justice happen sooner and not later.

And now, the 2014 TDOR memorial list.

Damn, Another Transpinay Murdered

Jennifer Laude isn't even in her grave a week and here I am discussing the death of another trans pinay.

Mary Joy Añonuevo, 55,

55 year old Mary Joy Anonuevo was found October 21 stabbed 33 times all over her body in the basement of the Koozy Resto BarDamn,  she owned

Residents heard screaming at 11 PM the previous night and called police.

It was discovered the bar had been left open, four empty beer bottles and glasses were left on the bar, and a tablet, jewelry, and an undetermined amount of cash were missing.

Police are investigating it as a robbery, but friends of Anonuevo and local advocates suspect this is a hate crime because of the brutality level of the killing.

And so do I.

It's past time the Philippine legislature sends the message that anti-trans hatred and crimes aimed at the trans community there are unacceptable.

And I know my trans brothers and trans sisters there will not rest until justice is served in Mary's care either.

And Now There Are Ten-RIP Ashley Sherman

We have lost another transsister to anti-trans violence.

Location this time was Indianapolis, IN, in the Tudor Park Condominiums on the eastern side of the city, and sadly it's another trans woman of color.. 

25 year old Ashley Sherman was found at that location early Monday morning by a patrolling police officer. 

She had been shot in the head, and police are trying to ascertain whether she was killed there or was brought there from another location.  While police are saying this was a homicide, as usual they are not investigating it as a hate crime.
.
A vigil was held on Wednesday at that location attended by 100 people, including Sherman's family and friends in which her mother implored the killer come forward.

Will be keeping track of this latest instance of one of our sisters being murdered until the case is satisfactorily resolved.

Rest in power and peace Ashley.   As with the rest of  our fallen sisters, we will not rest until justice is served.

Jennifer Laude Case Update 2

There have been mutiple developments in the Jennifer Laude case since my last update, so let me catch you up with what's happening. 

First up are the ongoing protests demanding that PFCf Joseph Pemberton, the accused killer of Laude be turned over to Philippine authorities to ensure justice for Jennifer. 

And yes, there is a precedent for the US military turning its personnel who have committed crimes in host nations to those nations to face justice there.   Two US sailors were handed over to Japanese authorities in 2013to be prosecuted for the robbery and rape of a woman on Okinawa.

I'm definitely down with that program because if Pemberton did the crime on Philippine soil and killed a Filipina  citizen, he needs to be tried for it on Philippine soil.  

Pemberton was formally charged on Wednesday with Laude's murder as US State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said: “We will continue to cooperate fully with the Philippine law enforcement authorities in every aspect of the investigation.”

Pemberton was also put on blast by the German fiance of Laude, Marc Sueselbeck.  He also put the German Embassy in Manila on blast for not processing Jennifer's visa in a timely fashion and stated in an interview that if they had done so, she'd be alive now.

Pink News is reporting that Senator Bam Aquino is now calling for the passage of the Anti-Discrimination Act of 2014 in the wake of Jennifer's murder and a rise in anti-TBLG crimes.

“We should impose heavier penalties so that these discriminatory and inhumane acts will be eradicated.”said Sen. Aquino.  He pointed out Laude's murder was not an isolated case, and that action needed to be taken to halt that rise n hate crimes.

“This number will continue to rise unless we do something about it immediately,” he added.

Under the new bill, persons found guilty would be fined from P100,000 ($2230) to P500,000 ($11,151) and could potentially face imprisonment of up to 12 years.

Stay tuned, because there are lots of interesting developments that are flowing from the senseless murder of our transpinay sister.

Jennifer Laude Update

In the latest news concerning the murder of our transpinay sister Jennifer Laude, the US marine suspected of killing her is still in custody on the USS Peleliu as the calls get increasingly louder for  calls for Joseph Pemberton to be handed over to Philippine authorities for his crime.

The Peleliu and 3000 US Marines and sailors had been in the Philippines to conduct joint exercises with the Philippine armed forces.   While the rest of the US naval ships participating in the joint exercises were allowed to leave Subic Bay, the Peleliu is still in port pending the investigation of the Laude murder.

In Manila protests occurred in front of the US Embassy there as the demands that PFC Pemberton be handed over to Philippine authorities grow louder.

And I agree.  He committed the crime on Philippine soil, so he needs to face justice in the Philippines for it    We'll have to stay tuned to see if he does.

Aniya Parker Case Update

In the latest news concerning the Aniya Parker murder in Los Angeles, a $50,000 reward is being offered for information that leads to the arrest and conviction of the three men who are believed to have committed it.

As the search for her killers continues, family and friends have launched a GoFundMe page to help raise money for Parker’s funeral expenses, describing her as a woman with “a heart of gold.”

The reward was announced during an emotional October 10 press conference. While the LAPD continues to investigate the case as a 'robbery gone wrong', the LA LGBT community continues to insist it was a hate crime.

Aniya Parker's distraught family members just want to know why she was killed.

“I don’t understand how you young people could do such a mean and cruel thing,” said Adrian Parker. “We just want to know why. We didn’t get a chance to say goodbye. … Our family is in deep emotional stress.”

As usual TransGriot readers, will keep you posted on the updates and developments in this case as I receive them.

Transpinay Killed In Philippines

The murderously rough week internationally for trans women continues with word that a US Marine has been detained and being investigated for the murder of a transpinay.

26 year old J (not using the male name) Laude was found by a Celzone Lodge employee after midnight Saturday night strangled with her head slumped in the toilet at the hotel in Olongapo City.

M. Gelviro, a 22 year old transpinay friend of Laude, stated in an interview the pair met the Marine at a local bar at 10:55 PM, and accompanied her and the Marine to the hotel.   Laude asked the friend to leave because she feared they would be outed as transpinays.

The suspect was described as a white male age 25-30, standing between 5'8"-5'10" in height with a marine style haircut.

The US Embassy in the Philippines said in a broadcast statement, “We are aware of the situation and express our deepest condolences to the family and friends of the deceased. We are also aware that there are allegations that a foreigner, including possibly a US national, was involved in the incident. We are currently looking into these allegations and working closely with the PNP (Philippine National Police) to take all necessary steps to help identify the suspects,” it said.

The unnamed Marine in question is assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 9th Marines from Camp Lejeune, North  Carolina.  He is  being held on board the USS Peleliu pending an investigation by NCIS.  

The amphibious landing warship arrived as part of a US troop presence for the PHIBLEX 15 military exercises in conjunction with the Philippine military, and the Peleliu has been at  Subic Bay for a port call. 

Condolences to the family of Ms. Laude, and here''s hoping that Philippine authorities and NCIS quickly sort out what happened in this case and that justice is expeditiously served.

TransGriot Update:  It has come to my attention that the name of the victim in this case is Jennifer Laude Sueselbeck.    The Marine being detained on the USS Peleliu is PFC Joseph Pemberton

Arrest Made In Zoraida Reyes Murder

There is finally some great news to report concerning the case of our fallen trans sister Zoraida Reyes.   The 28 year old activist was one of four trans women of color killed across the nation during a deadly month of anti-trans violence that broke out in June.

Reyes' body was found dumped near an Anaheim, CA Dairy Queen back on June 12.  The speculation was that she was killed in another location and the body was bought there.

Anaheim Police on October 8 arrested 38 year old Randy Lee Parkerson and charged him with Reyes' murder.   He is accused of meeting Reyes on June 10, choking her to death, and driving around with her body in the trunk of his car for a day before dumping it, according to the charging documents.  

Parkerson is charged with one count of murder.  He is being held on $1 million bail at the Anaheim PD Temporary Detention Facility.  

The case according to an APD spokeperson still is not being investigated as a hate crime.

"The motive is still unclear" said Lt Bob Dunn in an LA Times interview. “There is nothing to suggest that Zoraida was specifically targeted.

As Parkerson undergoes questioning in this ongoing investigation, that is one of the questions that is crying out for an answer.

We are another step closer to getting justice for Zoraida, her family, and all the people who loved  her.

'He Wanted To Erase Her Existence'

Mayang Prasetyo, another one of our transsisters was murdered in Australia.

Along with the media in Brisbane misgendering and sensationalizing the whole thing also came a Guardian post by Amy Gray that took the opposite angle. 

Gray's post asserted that it was masculine entitlement that led to Prasetyo's death.

That Guardian article generated some commentary on my FB page when  I posted it, and the most thought provoking one of all so far was from Troy, whose trans attracted man videos you see pop up on TransGriot from time to time.

In his comment on the article Troy remarked, "Think of the last few trans women that have been murdered, thrown on the streets, dumped in the garbage. It seems their killers wanted to erase them from existence."

"That's why I'm so adamant about language. When you dehumanize someone it's easier to justify killing them."

Exactly, Troy.  Ever since I transitioned 20 years ago and became aware of the horrific levels of anti-trans violence aimed at us, there have been times when I have been stunned by the extreme level of violence that was aimed at transfeminine murder victims. 

Yaz'min Shancez's killer shot her, then burned her body. Shellie Hilliard's body in Detroit was dismembered and burned by her convicted killer.  I remember reading about other trans murders on the Remembering Our Dead list in which extreme violence was part of it.

One of my suspicions as to why that happens is because of the virulent level anti-trans hate can reach at times with cisgender males, as Joanna Cifredo noted while recounting an incident that happened to her in her blog post Passing To Survive.

That night will forever be ingrained in my memory. It was the night that I looked straight into the eyes of transphobia. I don’t think “phobia” is even the right word, he wasn’t scared of me, just the opposite, I was scared of him, instead I came face to face with pure, undiluted, hatred. As I rode home I began to think about the paralyzing fear that engulfed every pore of my being, and I began to sob uncontrollably. I started to think of all of my sisters who came face to face with hatred and weren’t as lucky as I was to have someone there defending them and were met with their mortality

Joanna is describing an instance in which she came face to face with someone who literally wanted to erase her existence from the face of this Earth because of her trans feminine status.  That person probably would have eagerly done so if it hadn't been for the fact there was a door and another cis male keeping that from happening in the incident she describes in the post

It's the sudden nature in which a transwoman can go from having a pleasant day to fearing for her life that keeps us on edge as we navigate our lives. 

My transsisters, this is just one of the things that estrogen based lifeforms unfortunately have to deal with   It is dangerous at times to walk this planet in a feminine body.

It gets even more problematic when that feminine body is a trans feminine one.  You have cisgender males who mistakenly feel they have the right to violently harm or kill a trans woman simply because the transwoman's presence in their space at that given moment for whatever specious reason offends them.

And I suspect this unfortunately happened to our sis Mayang.   For whatever reason, the man who professed to love her, killed and dismembered her before killing himself. 

How much transphobia played a role in this domestic violence situation we will probably never know, but the bottom line is still the same.  

Our sis is dead at the hands of a man who appears to have wanted to erase her existence

Dwight DeLee Case Hearing October 15

I was majorly pissed off along with many trans people in New York state and across the country when the conviction of Dwight DeLee in the murder of Lateisha Green was overturned on a technicality. 

DeLee was subsequently released from prison, and the case in now back in the NY Court of Appeals after the Onandaga County District Attorney asked the appeals court to review the case.  

After the conviction was overturned, the Onondaga County District Attorney asked the court of appeals to review the case. - See more at: http://centralny.twcnews.com/content/news/central_new_york/708214/dwight-delee-s-overturned-case-to-be-reviewed/#sthash.BPfsSg8V.dpuf

On October 15, the NY Court of Appeals will hold a hearing to decide if the conviction in this case will be reinstated and DeLee can go back to serving that 25 year sentence he got for killing Green back in 2008.

Should have been longer, but it is what it is..

While we're waiting along with Lateisha's family for justice to be served again, here's a petition for you to sign if you wish calling for the reinstatement of DeLee's conviction.

The message needs to be sent that killing a trans woman comes with a cost to the perpetrtors of these heinous acts and that our lives are valuable.

Justice For Brittany Kidd-Stergis!

There is good news to report in terms of another one of our fallen transsisters receiving justice.

In my last update on this case back in June,  Delshawn Carroll was arrested and charged with the aggravated  the murder of Stergis while in the Cuyahoga County Jail on drug trafficking charges.

On Friday Carroll was convicted of the December 6, 2013 murder of Stergis as
she sat in her car in a Cleveland westside public housing project.   Carroll tried to deny that he and Stergis had a past association with each other, but that lie was blown up by evidence frond by investigators that placed him inside Stergis' car.

Carroll was also convicted of the drug trafficking charge.  It carries an 18 month sentence that he will serve concurrently with the life sentence he will get for killing Brittany Kidd-Stergis 

Justice has been served and another murderer of our sisters will be rotting in jail for doing so

RIP Aniya Parker

We now know the name of our fallen transsister in Los Angeles.    She is 47 year old Aniya Parker., whose friends knew her as Asia. 

 LAPD may not want to call it a hate crime, but when somebody throws a punch at the victim before they shoot them, and leaves the purse behind, it doesn't take a Cal Tech degree to suspect this is a hate crime

She is the eight transperson to die this year in the United States and the second in the Los Angeles area since June.  And  fitting the pattern of all the previous trans murders in the United States in 2014, she is a trans woman of color.

A candlelight vigil was held last night at the Melrose and N. Kenmore Ave corner where she was fatally shot.

The LAPD are still looking for the 2-4 Latino men suspected of being perpetrators of this crime. If you have any information that will lead to the arrest and conviction of these wastes of DNA, you can call them at 1-877-527-3247.

To all the folks  who knew and loved Ariya, we are just as upset and outraged about the untimely  loss of another one of our sisters, and hope justice happens expeditiously in this unfolding case.

And if you have a photo of her, please send it to me.

We've Lost Another Transsister

This time in Los Angeles.

Reports are coming from the area that a fortysomething trans woman was fatally shot in the head early this morning after an attempted robbery in East Hollywood.  

She was discovered about 2:30 AM PDT by LAPD officers responding to a report of shots fired in the 600 block of North Kenmore Avenue, according to the Los Angeles Police Department.

The woman was taken to the Los Angeles County-USC Medical Center, where she was pronounced dead shortly after 5 AM PDT, an LAPD police spokesperson said.

The unknown for now trans woman will unfortunately become the eighth transperson murdered this year in the United States.  She will also become the second transwoman in the LA metro area murdered since Zoraida Reyes was found dead back in June. 

I'm trying to get more information about our lost trans sister from local and other sources, and as soon as I have it, I'll post further updates to this story. 

But we'll have to recite another name at next month's TDOR, and this month';s just getting started. 

TransGriot Update: LAPD has finally released the name of our gone too soon sister, and she is 47 year old Aniya Parker

Diamond Williams Case Update: Preliminary Hearing Tomorrow

In our last update on what was happening in the search for justice for Diamond Williams, there was a mental competency hearing held for Diamond's alleged killer Charles Sargent in which he was found competent to stand trial.

Tomorrow at 9AM EDT in room #306 of the Philadelphia Criminal Justice Center,  there will be a preliminary hearing for Sargent, who is charged with the heinous July 2013 murder and dismemberment of Williams.   Municipal Court Judge Marsha H. Neufield, as she did for the mental competency hearing, will be the presiding judge.
    

Hope those of you in the Philadelphia area who can do so will join the TransHealth Information Project and the family and loved ones of Diamond Williams in helping pack that courtroom to show solidarity and support.

The Philadelphia Criminal Justice Center is located at 1301 Filbert Street in Center City.   TIP is making and distributing buttons to wear during the hearing to show solidarity.

If you can attend, by doing so you'll also be sending the message that Diamond's and other trans lives lost in Philadelphia matter.

The second anniversary of Kyra Cordova's 2012 murder passed on September 3 with no arrest in the case, and October 11 will mark four years since Stacey Blahnik Lee was murdered.  While there is a person of interest in that case, there hasn't been an arrest made yet.  . 

And yes, you can be assured that my Philadelphia sources will keep me apprised of the developments in the Williams case (and other Philly trans cases) until justice has been served.

If you need more information, you can contact Andrew Spiers, the TransHealth Information Project Co-Coordinator of GALAEI – a queer Latin@ social justice organization at (215) 851-1822, ext 1763.

Please pack that room for our fallen sister.   

TransGriot Update:  Looks like the next court date for Sargent is October 8 according to Court records.

Trans Latina Killed In Memphis

Well people, it has unfortunately happened again.  We have lost another one of our trans sisters and her name is Alejandra Leos.   This time it happened in Memphis, TN on Friday, just steps away from her North Memphis home in the 1600 block of Berkshire St.   According to news reports the 41 year old Leos was shot around 8 PM CDT on Friday.   




The Memphis PD arrested and charged 21 year old Marshall Pegues with first degree murder in what appears to be a domestic violence case.   Pegues and Leos had an argument at their home prior to Pegues shooting her in the back.

Hopefully Pegues will be expeditiously tried and convicted for this crime and justice will be served.     

Leos' funeral is planned for Wednesday, September 10 between 5:00-8:00 PM CDT at Hickory Hill Funeral Home.  Address of the funeral  home is 5270 Knight Arnold Rd, Memphis, TN 38118 and their phone number is (901) 795-6688.  Family members are asking for those who would like to help with funeral expenses to contact the funeral home directly.  

I hope that members of the Memphis trans community can attend and show the family some love during this difficult time.

Unfortunately Alejandra will be another one of the names we'll have to read at this year's Transgender Day of Remembrance memorial ceremony this November.  

Rest in power and peace, sis.

Rest In Power, Kenishia Hubbard 1964-2014

Was stunned to hear that one of our transsisters, Left Coast advocates and my fellow Texan Kenishia Hubbard suddenly passed away at age 50 on Monday August 18 in San Diego, CA..

From Kenishia's daughter Nita Hubbard:  (multiple pronouns changed to avoid misgendering Kenishia and respect her life)

For those of you who are unaware my father suddenly passed away at the age of 50 years young yesterday afternoon. I am saddened and in shock but more importantly I want to make sure that everyone who knew Kenishia is aware of her death so they may join our family and friends in her home coming. Please spread the word.  I will keep everyone posted on the wake and funeral services. Rest in peace daddy, I love you. Kenishia "KiKi" Hubbard January 3, 1964 - August 18, 2014.

Kenishia was born in Fort Worth, graduated from Dunbar High, studied at Tarrant County Junior College and served our country proudly as a US Marine.   Kenishia was also a mentor to many transsisters in the San Diego area .

I had the pleasure of meeting her along with many of my BTAC family at the recent edition of the Black Trans Advocacy Conference in Dallas.

Kenishia was my roommate for the event and we spent a few long nights discussing our lives up to that point and her desire to expand her outreach wings in the San Diego and national trans community.   She had a heart as wide as our home state and never failed to put a smile on my face and everyone else who she came in contact with during the time we were together at BTAC 

And as I found out to my chagrin at the Saturday fun day, she plays a mean game of dominoes.

I made a friend during that weekend, and saddened I didn't get the opportunity to build on the connection we made during that weekend in Dallas like I wanted to do.    

A reminder to all of us.  Tell the people that you care about and who mean a lot to you how much you appreciate them while they are in this plane of existence to hear it..   Once they are gone, it's too late to do so. 

Services for Kenishia Hubbard are pending at this time, and as I get information about the homegoing service arrangements or any memorial services being planned in the San Diego area, I'll pass that info to you as soon as I receive it.

If you wish to send donations, flowers or cards, you can do so via Kenishia Hubbard's daughter Nita Hubbard.  Phone number is 972-750-1929 or you can call 619-506-7505.

Rest in power and peace Kenishia.  Until we meet again.  

Domonique Newburn Case: One Year Later

As Islan Nettles was lying in a New York hospital bed in a coma after the vicious transphobic attack on her, today was the day a year ago the national trans community discovered we'd  lost another one of our sisters.

31 year old Domonique Newburn had been found dead in her blood spattered Fontana, CA apartment after reports of a disturbance were relayed to the local police.  

Newburn starred in a 2010 YouTube reality TV series called Hollywood Houseboys about four trans and SGLl friends trying to make it in the entertainment industry.

The prime suspect, Dantjier Domenick Powell, allegedly dated Newburn for several years.   He was spotted loading items in Domonique's black Mercedes C240 that was later found abandoned at Perris Hill Park in San Bernadino, CA.

The now 19 year old Powell fled the state by bus along with now 26 year old Jaime Nicole Cotton.  That led to a $1 million arrest warrant with extradition back to California being issued for Powell and Cotton.  

Powell was eventually captured in Springfield, MO., charged with murder and extradited back to California to face the legal music in February.   He has been held at the Adelanto Detention Center without bail since then.  

A hearing was held on Monday, August 11 before Judge Michael R. Libutti, with the result of Powell’s case being sent to Superior Court Judge Shahla S. Sabet for further action.


Prosecutors have filed charges of accessory after the fact against Cotton.   She was aware of the heinous crime Powell committed and helped him flee the state of California to avoid prosecution.

Will be keeping you posted on the outcome of this case and hoping that at long last, Domonique receives justice.