Arrest Made In Tracy Single Williams Case

The Houston Police Department (HPD) has announced it has made an arrest in the Tracy Single Williams case. 

The waste of DNA who did it was dating her.

25 year old Joshua Dominic Bourgeois was arrested on Friday and has been charged with the murder of the 22 year old Williams.   She was living in an apartment on Houston's west side at the time of her murder and was in a dating relationship with Bourgeois. .   

Her body was found in a gas station parking lot along the 11700 block of  I-10 in west Houston just west of Beltway 8 around 3;30 AM back on July 30, and her death was ruled by the Harris County coroner as a homicide.   Williams body according to HPD spokespersons had severe lacerations in addition to a puncture wound.

Bourgeois is currently cooling his heels in the Harris County Jail without bond, and it is unknown as of this writing if he has a defense attorney.

And yes, you can bet that the Houston area trans community and our allies will be closely watching this case to ensure that justice is served for Tracy and her family.

Number 16- Rest in Power and Peace Tracy Single

Unfortunately we are in a moment in which the trans murders have been happening at a fast and furious pace in the last few weeks.    The latest one happened in my Houston backyard back on July 30.

There was a July 30 news report of a woman found dead in a gas station parking lot along the eastbound feeder road in the 11000 block of the Katy Freeway (I-10 to the rest of y'all)  at 3:34 AM CDT   

Two local stations, ABC13 and FOX 26 reported her as a woman who did not die of natural causes, and HPD detectives were investigating the case.  It took a week to pass here in H-town before we were advised by our HPD LGBT liaisons that the woman who was found along I-10 back on July 30 was actually trans and was murdered. 

Dee Dee Watters subsequently organized an August 11 town hall meeting that led to us finally IDing  Tracy so we can now officially #SayHerName.

Now for the business end of this post. 

The 22 year old Single is now the 16th person we have lost to anti-trans violence in the US in 2019, the third in the state of Texas this year, and the 12th person under age 30 that has joined the ancestors far too soon.

If you peeps in the Houston area have any information that will lead the arrest and conviction of her killer, you are urged to call the HPD Homicide Division at 713-308-3600  or call Crime Stoppers at 713-222-TIPS (8477).

Tracy is being remembered here in Houston by having City Hall lit up in the trans pride flag colors today and tomorrow.   

There's also a stretch of six arched bridges along the below grade portion of I-69 here in Houston that cuts through the southern edge of the Montrose gayborhood that can be lit up in various colors.

Like City Hall, those bridges will be lit up thanks to Houston Mayor's LGBT Advisory Board Chair Harrison Homer-Guy in trans pride flag colors to honor our fallen sister.

As soon as I get confirmation of the funeral arrangements and memorial service, I'll pass that information along when I receive it

Rest in power and peace Tracy.   You were taken away from us way too soon, and we will not rest in the 713 until the person who killed you is locked up for a long stretch in a TDC unit.

Number 12- Rest In Power And Peace Denali Berries Stuckey

Was distressed to hear while attending a BTAC leadership training in Dallas about the way too soon loss of another young Black trans woman.  We head to North Charleston, SC for the latest news.

Thanks to Marcus Yasir Ross and Taliyah Cassadine Smith for alerting me to this latest death.

North Charleston PD officers responded to a 4:05 AM EDT call of a body lying on the side of the road at 2721 Carner Avenue.  They arrived at the scene to find 29 year old Denali Berries Stuckey dead from a gunshot wound

And as you probably guessed. local media misgendered her in their reporting.

North Charleston PD is still investigating the crime.   As of this writing NCPD has no suspects or persons of interest in the case.   If you have any information that will lead to an arrest and conviction, please call NCPD Crime Stoppers at 843-554-1111 or the NCPD Tip line at 843-607-2076.

Stuckey is the 12th trans woman to die this year in the US, with all of the known victims so far being African American.  She is also the 8th one under age 30 to be killed in 2019.

As of yet no word about whether there will be a vigil or memorial service for our trans sibling.  If one is organized, I will pass that info along as soon as I receive it. 

Rest in power and peace, Denali.   Hoping that the person who killed you  is swiftly caught and punished to the full extent of the law. 

What Are Houston Black Trans Leaders Doing? Plenty

I understand there's some grousing going on with some peeps in the Houston Black trans community claiming that 'our leaders aren't doing anything' when it comes to the Pinky shooting.

That couldn't be further from the truth.   I actually heard about the shooting on Thursday while watching the 6 PM news.   Didn't find out the woman in question ABC13 was reporting on was trans until the Chronicle's initial transphobic spin on the report was published and it was relayed to me late Friday evening.

This post went up on TransGriot  in response to the problematic transphobic article and to alert the community (and the nation) as to what the facts were at the time I wrote it.   There were some erroneous comments we had to immediately correct that Pinky had been killed.

That initial TransGriot post has not only gone viral (and has over 10,000 hits as I write this), it was linked to by the Dallas Voice and OutSmart magazine where I write a monthly column.

While I ended up in front of a FOX 26 TV camera last night with Houston GLBT Caucus president Mike Webb on the Isiah Factor Uncensored,  it doesn't mean that nothing is happening or that those of us who are considered leaders in this Houston trans community are just twiddling our thumbs.

I'm coordinating with our media contacts.   Both of our HPD LGBT liaisons were in Detroit attending Creating Change when Pinky was shot on Thursday.  I just caught up with one of them on Tuesday afternoon.   They are waiting to talk to Pinky, who was unconscious until Sunday, to determine next steps in this case and to hear from her what happened.  The detective in the case is also waiting to talk to her as well.

Atlantis Narcisse, Dee Dee Watters, Diamond Stylz and Jessica Zyrie are also working behind the scenes in our different lanes to find out what happened    We had allies in TENT ED Emmett Schelling and Eric Edward Schell calling the Houston Chronicle to address the transphobic coverage.

Our colleagues at BLM-Houston are standing by.  Ana Andrea Molina and the trans Latinx community are ready to help along with our Latinx community allies.  Equality Texas is wanting to know what they can do to help.

So are our trans brothers and trans GNC siblings. People around the country are asking me and other Houston leaders what can they do to help Pinky.

But next steps for how we proceed are on hold until we can talk to Pinky.   Remember that she was shot three times at point blank range and is STILL sore from it.   One of the bullets hit close to her throat so she couldn't talk.

We want to give her a little space and time to recover a bit physically and emotionally.

HPD also wants this fool off the streets as quickly as possible.  Anyone who would indiscriminately fire a gun at someone at a crowded gas station is a menace to society that needs to sent to the nearest TDC corrections facility.   Our HPD liaisons EJ Joseph and Alexa Magnan along with the detectives on this case want to solve it as well.

You can help make that happen by relaying any information you have on this case to Crime Stoppers at 713-222-TIPS (8477) 

Sometimes activist work is tedious, multilayered and needs to happen behind the scenes, not in front of the unblinking eye of a camera.   If people in Houston Black Trans World were wanting us to head to City Hall and go off on Mayor Turner, the council, and HPD's command staff, not gonna happen. 

There are a lot of questions in this case we needed answers to before we take our next steps. 

One step we are planning is a Black trans town hall, with date and location to be determined

The thing that we can be most grateful for is that Pinky survived this horrific attack.   Next thing we all want is to get that waste of DNA who shot her off the streets and in jail as expeditiously as possible.  We want justice for Pinky. 

But there's a lot of work that needs to happen until those goals are accomplished.   

Houston Trans Woman Shot, Misgendered By Houston Chronicle

Anytime and anywhere a trans woman is shot I have a major problem with it.   But when the crap happens in my Houston backyard less than a mile from where I live I take it personally.

A 24 year old Black trans woman known as Pinky was chased Thursday morning through a busy Chevron station parking lot just after 11 AM CST.   The gun wielding miscreant shot at Pinky twice, cornered her by the front door of the gas station located on the corner of Beltway 8 and Richmond Ave in West Houston, and fired three shots at her at point blank range.

She was taken to a nearby hospital in unknown condition.

The surveillance cam video obtained by ABC13 is disturbing and infuriating to watch.


I know that location well because it has a Frenchy's that I love to patronize.   That station because it is on a major street by one of our busy H-town freeways is always busy. 

So somebody saw something or knows something that will lead to the arrest and conviction of this fool.

The approximately 5' 8" Black male assailant wearing a gray hoodie got away in a light colored SUV, possibly a Honda.   HPD is definitely looking for his reprehensible behind.

If you have any information that will expedite that happening, you are urged to call Crime Stoppers at  713-222-TIPS (8477)

As for Pinky, her Houston trans family will definitely be checking on her to make sure she is okay, and once the waste of DNA is apprehended, stand with her when he is inevitably tried and brought to justice.

What also has me incensed and concerned about about what happened besides the fact it was in my neighborhood is that the Houston Chronicle dipped into the transphobic pool to report on this story.

Note to Jay R. Jordan:  A trans woman is a WOMAN, not a man.    It was not necessary for you to go there and try to justify your transphobia by adding the sentence about Pinky's ID.

I find it interesting you could point out the incorrect ID, but couldn't report Pinky's name 

Another point I need to make is this.  What is or isn't on that ID is not germane to this story.

Houston cis Black community and cis Black community leaders and politicians, several questions for you to ponder. 

When will you FINALLY step up and say it is NOT okay to shoot at or kill Black trans people and act on it?  When will our Black trans lives matter to you?   How many of us have to die this year before you finally conclude that enough is enough? 

And another FYI for you. Black trans Houstonians vote.

A trans woman was shot and ended up in the hospital as a result of what happened Thursday.   It is infuriating to me and the Houston trans community that once again, instead of respectfully reporting on it like ABC13 did, transphobia was injected into this incident by our main local newspaper.

Number 17- Rest In Power Dejanay Stanton

Was hoping we could get through the month of August without losing a single trans person, but unfortunately that is not going to be the case.

We go to Chicago for our latest trans murder. 

24 year old Dejanay Stanton was found in an alley at approximately 12:30 PM CDT at E.40th and S.Martin Luther King Streets on Chicago's South Side. 

Stanton was discovered suffering from a gunshot wound to the head after people in the area reported hearing gunshots.  She was transported to Stroger Hospital, where she was subsequently pronounced dead.

Stanton is the 17th trans person murdered in the United States in 2018, and the 13th African American trans person we have lost to anti-trans violence.   The part that really irritates and pisses me off is that she is now the eight trans person under age 30 we have lost to anti-trans violence.

Dejanay's Black trans life mattered.   When is that point going to be unequvocally acknowledged by the Black cis community, its legacy orgs and its political leaders?

A balloon release will be held later today at the 40th and King Street alley where she was killed starting at 7:30 PM. 

Chicago Police Department Area Central detectives are investigating this case, and would appreciate any information you can give them that will help bring the perpetration of this crime to justice.

Rest in power and peace Dejanay.   I'm upset that you really didn't get a chance to live your life, and I'm tired of the anti-trans animus that probably played a role in cutting yours way too short. 

You trans family and all who loved you will not rest until the person who killed you has been brought to justice.

Jacksonville,You Have A Trans Violence Problem

Less than a month after the November 2015 repeal of the Houston Equal Rights Ordinance, Jacksonville was trying to pass the addition of gender identity to their own ERO.

Fresh off their shady victory in Houston, Republican advocates and conservative fundamentalists went to work using the same reprehensible playbook to defeat Jacksonville's attempt to add gender identity to their ERO. 

After a month of nonstop anti-trans rhetoric pimped by now disgraced pedophile pastor Kenneth Adkins and the Klan distributing anti-gay flyers mere days after a contentious public forum, Jacksonville's mayor Lenny Curry (R)  then shut down the attempt to pass the ERO in January. 

It was revived and successfully passed in February 2017, but the anti-trans animus stirred up by the Jacksonville hate pastors definitely didn't go away.  The anti-trans animus needlessly stirred up by the hate pastors in their attempt to kill the Jacksonville ERO I assert is one of the reasons that Jacksonville has a trans violence problem.

In 2018 we have had three trans women, Celine Walker, Antasha English and now Cathalina James killed in this city.  A fourth Black trans woman was shot during a domestic dispute but survived. 

The animus between the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office and the local trans community doesn't help, either.   The JSO needs to stop being transphobic azzholes and treat the local trans community with dignity and respect. 

When Celine Walker was killed, she was misgendered by the JSO, and the local media followed their lead.   When they got called on it by the local community and GLAAD, they claimed they had a policy that would not allow them to refer to victims as transgender

This blatant lack of respect from JSO is probably a major reason why these cases have remained unsolved so far and feeds into the anti-trans animus initially stirred up in 2015 .

According to local advocates, the trans community is more fearful of the JSO than the killer that is lurking about killing them.    That's a situation that must change if they are to get the help necessary from the Jacksonville trans community that will solve this case.

JSO must become culturally competent to make that happen, because trans folks do live in the city of Jacksonville and Duval County itself.

Jacksonville, it's obvious you have a trans violence problem.   What are you going to do to solve it?

Justice For Dandara!

You may recall the vicious February 15 beating and murder last year of 42 year old Brazilian trans woman Dandara dos Santos by several wastes of DNA men that was captured on video. 

2017 also happened to be the deadliest year on record for TBLGQ murders in Brazil.

Dandara was taken out of her home in Fortaleza, stripped, beaten, kicked, stoned and mocked by the killers as she pleaded for her life.  She had transphobic and homophobic slurs hurled at her before she was thrown into a wheelbarrow and carted off. to be shot to death.

The brutal videotaped murder sent shockwaves around the world and outraged the Brazilian and global trans community.  The video also lead to the identification and arrest of the mob of  men  who killed her. .

Justice was finally served in that case as five of the eight participants in this heinous crime received a combined 83 years in jail .

Francisco Jose Monteiro de Oliveira, Jr. who shot dos Santos, was given 21 years in prison.   Jean Victor Silva Oliveira, who attacked her with a wooden board, received a 16 year prison sentence.

Rafael Alves da Silva Paiva, who was filed repeatedly kicking Dandara, was also sentenced to 16 years in jail along with Francisco Gabriel dos Reis.   Isaias da Silva Camurca was sentenced to 14 years and 6 months for his part in the attack on our trans sister, beating her with flip flops.

Jean Oliveira and Paivi are appealing their sentences on the basis of their actions weren't decisive in causing Dandara's death.

Incredibly all of the men tried make the claim that while they attacked her, they weren't responsible for her death. 

It was a claim that prosecutor Marcus Renan Palacio dismissed by saying to them, "No one killed Dandara?   Was it lightning that fell on her head?  Was it a stone from a building?

Francisco Oliveira after being sentenced tried to apologize to Dandara's relatives, claiming that he'd committed the crime because he was deluded and he'd learned he has to have love in his heart.

You were right about the deluded part.   But the date you needed to have love in your heart was on February 15, 2017, not when your azz is about to do 21 years in prison from murdering another human being.

Number 8- Rest In Power and Peace Sasha Wall

Thanks to TransGriot reader Greg Green, he has made me aware of another trans sister we've lost to anti trans violence and it's  my sad duty to report that to you. 

The latest murder of a trans person happened in Chesterfield County, SC, just across the state line from Charlotte, NC.

Her name is 29 year old Sasha Wall.  She was originally from Charlotte, NC  but was living in Pageland, SC, 40 miles SE of Charlotte. 

Wall was found at 8 AM EDT Sunday in her running car slumped over the steering wheel.  She had been shot several times, with one gunshot wound in her neck.. 

And as you probably guessed, Sasha was misgendered in the article and in the on air broadcast by the police.

A passing motorist discovered what happened at the intersections of Sandy Plains Road and Highway 145 north of Chesterfield and near the North-Carolina-South Carolina state line and called 911

According to Chesterfield County Sheriff Jay Brooks, Sasha's black Toyota Corolla was parked on the side of the road with the engine running for nearly two hours.



A small caliber bullet was recovered from the driver's side door, and Brooks told WSOC-TV that whoever shot Sasha was either sitting in the passenger seat or was standing outside the car with the door opened.

The Chesterfield County Sheriff's Department at this time doesn't have a person of interest or a suspect in this case

Sasha is now the eighth trans person killed in 2018, and the fifth Black trans person murdered this year.   And once again, the pattern continues of an under 30 trans woman being murdered.

Rest in power and peace sis.   We will say your name and won't rest until justice is served in this case,

Get Well Soon, Arianna!

I first met Arianna Lint during a GLAAD POC Media Training in New York back in September 2012.  I have run into her over the years at many trans conferences across the US including BTAC and from time to time posted her interviews on Spanish language media.

I was horrified, appalled and pissed off  to hear that she was assaulted yesterday at her South Florida area home,  and the attack left her hospitalized with a broken arms that will require surgery.

Arianna is one of the sweetest people you would ever want to meet, and has been putting in the work as a well respected advocate for the trans Latina and HIV+ communities in Florida and nationally with the TransLatina Coalition . 

I'll say it again. Anti-trans hate thoughts + anti-trans hate speech = anti-trans hate violence and murders.   That anti-trans rhetoric you let slide off your lips has real world consequences for transgender people.   The more high profile we are, the bigger the target on our backs.

We advocates are all keenly aware of that point, but we don't let it deter us from doing what needs to be done for our people 

Speaking of things that need to be done,  hopp the waste of DNA who did this is expeditiously caught, punished and does serious jail time.

It is also my hope and prayer that you recover quickly from your injuries, and I get to see you at some event in 2018, or my travels bring me to South Florida.

Get well soon Arianna!

Number 19- RIP Derricka Banner

We have now lost our 19th trans person this year, once again in Charlotte, NC.

26 year old Derricka Banner was found shot to death in her car at 3 AM Tuesday morning during the in northwest Charlotte in the 1400 block of Rosetta Street as the winds and rains of Tropical Storm Irma were lashing the city.

An arrest has already been made  by Charlotte Mecklenburg Police in this still being actively investigated case.

18 year old Montavious Sanchez Berry was arrested late Tuesday evening and charged with her murder.   He is also being charged with armed robbery and shooting into an occupied vehicle.

Banner makes the now 16th Black trans person murdered in 2017, and the 15th trans feminine Black person who has died.   And yes, she was under age 30.

We have had one Black trans masculine person in Kashmire Redd, one Native American  transwoman in Jamie Lee Wounded Arrow, one Latina in Josie Berrios,  and one White trans woman in Gwynevere River Song also lost due to anti-trans violence in 2017.

This case is still being investigated, and people with info concerning Banner's murder are asked to call CMPD  704-432-TIPS (8477)  and speak with Detective Jones, the lead detective on this ongoing case.   You can also call Crime Stoppers at 704- 334-1600 or the Charlotte Crime Stoppers mobile app or website.

As of yet I haven't received any news from my Charlotte area contacts concerning a vigil or announcement of funeral services yet, and I will pass that along to you TransGriot readers as I receive it

I'll also be monitoring the case until justice is served.

Rest in power and peace, Derricka.

Newark Police Looking For Men Who Attacked Trans Woman

Anti-trans hate thoughts + Anti-trans hate speech = anti-trans hate violence.

Unfortunately it is Black trans women who are living with and bearing the brunt of this Equation of Trans Oppression being played out in real time.

If people aren't trying to kill us, they are inappropriately and violently in many cases putting their hands on us, and that toro caca needs to stop.

I was sent a link to the infuriating video by Londyn De Richelieu concerning this disturbing incident that happened in Newark recently a block from Newark's city hall.  .

What it looks like in the snippet of video that I was sent, is that for whatever reason, a trans woman and a cis male were engaged in a physical altercation.  The trans woman appears to have gotten the upper hand on her tormentor, had him pinned to the ground and was kicking that butt as a crowd of bystanders watched.

Then another male in a white t-shirt, black jeans, a black wave cap  and a backpack jumped into the fight,pulling the trans woman off the pinned down male and began to violently kick her in the face, stomp her head and strike her in the face several times before it ended.

The video obviously has caused outrage in Black Trans World, especially in light of the fact we have already lost 12 Black trans women this year to anti-trans violence.

I'm happy to inform you that Newark Police are now looking for the two men involved in this incident, and if you have information on their whereabouts, you are urged to  call the NPD's Crime Stoppers tip line at 1-877-NWK-TIPS (1-877-695-8477) or 1-877-NWK-GUNS (1-977-695-4867)

Your anonymous tips will be kept confidential, and could result in a reward if the perpetrators are captured and brought to justice.

So yeah, I'm all in favor of calling the cops on these fools and seeing justice served for the trans woman they attacked.

Rest In Power and Peace, Brenda Bostick

We have lost another trans woman to anti-trans violence., this time in New York

We don't know the name, or the ethnic background of the 59 year old woman who has unfortunately become the 10th trans person we have lost to anti-trans violence in the United States in 2017.

What we do know at this time is that she was found severely beaten, unconscious and badly hurt on April 25 outside of a Five Guys restaurant at 10:30 PM EDT on 7th Avenue.

She was taken to Bellevue Hospital Center, where she died from her injuries on May 4.
It is unknown at this time whether she regained consciousness, but law enforcement sources are stating that her injuries do not appear to be self-inflicted nor from a fall and they are investigating this case as a homicide.

NYPD doesn't have at this time any suspects in this murder case, so if you have any information about that April 25 night that can help solve this case or lead to the identification of the victim, you are asked to call the NYPD

An autopsy is being done by the medical examiner to determine the cause of death, and notification next of kin is happening at this time.  My New York area trans family are working to discover who this fallen trans person was, and as soon as I get more details either from the media or the New York area trans community, I will pass them along to you.

Rest in power and peace Number 10.   Hopefully we will find out what you name was so we can honor you and your life properly.  We also pray for the expeditious capture, prosecution and conviction of the person or persons who callously took your life, and won't rest until that happens..

TransGriot Update  Thanks to Elizabeth Rivera, we now know number 10's name.  It is Brenda Bostick, and yes she was Black .  

Ms. Bostick is now the ninth Black trans woman we've lost in a five month span due to anti-trans violence

#SayHerName  #StopKillingBlackTransWomen   #BlackTransLivesMatter

Accuracy Matters When We're Discussing Trans Murders

As much of the country is aware of, we have now had eight trans women murdered due to anti-trans violence.   We know that seven of the eight were Black, and one was native American.  We also know all of them were under age 40.

But we have some people in Trans World who wish to count a trans man who died as a result of a police incident as a murder when it wasn't.   We also have people that wish to include folks who have committed suicides.

No to both of those, and here's why.

First of all, the trans man in question, Sean Hake wasn't murdered.   It was a police domestic disturbance situation that ended with a weapon being discharged and Hake dying as a result of it.   It wasn't a murder, and it's disrespectful to the memory of the eight women who have had their lives taken from us in 2017 to call it that.

Not all suicides involving trans people a result of anti-trans violence.  The reasons for a person committing suicide are as varied as the person committing it and them leaving a note behind explaining why they did so.  .

As someone who has been tracking trans murders for over a decade, accuracy in how we talk about these cases matters.  Now that we're finally getting some media attention concerning the issues of anti-trans violence, we cannot afford to be perceived as fudging or inflating the numbers with cases that clearly aren't murders..

Accuracy matters when we're telling the story about our trans siblings murders.  It's even more important to be accurate about it because the victims are predominately people of color, and we're dealing with a media that is predominately made up of cisgender white people .    .

The numbers alone are horrific enough.   We don't need to cast doubt on them by calling a police incident an anti-trans murder when it isn't, or claiming suicides are 'anti-trans violence'

Casa Ruby Vandalized

Hate thoughts + Hate Speech = Hate violence/ Hate murders.  

There are some of you who don't believe this Equation of Oppression to be true, but those of us in marginalized communities know this all too well what happens when bigots and bullies feel empowered to be as hateful as the wanna be, especially when they believe that particular hate speech they espouse against a group has a governmental stamp of approval.

Was angered to hear that yesterday the Casa Ruby LGBT Community Center on Georgia Ave in northwest Washington DC was vandalized and the trans person on duty who was working at the time was assaulted/

And this isn't a hate crime Washington Metro PD?

This was a mere  two days after Washington DC Mayor Muriel Bowser and Metro DC Police Chief Peter Newsham reported a 62% increase in hate crimes aimed at TBLGQ Washington residents in 2016 from 66 incidents to 107 in 2016.    Crimes in DC against the DC trans community according to Ruby Cordao have gone up 100%

This also happened two days after anti-trans comments from a feminist blew up on the Net.

I have had more than a few pleasant visit to Casa Ruby in the last few years, and it pisses me the hell off that an org that is doing much good in the District and is the largest employer of trans folks there is having to deal with this level of destructive ignorance.

Metro DC police are looking for this suspect, and hope the waste of DNA who is swiftly captured and brought to justice.

I will also pass on any additional news from Ruby if the center needs anything besides your donations to fix what was damaged.
 

RIP Crystal Edmonds

It's my sad duty to report we've lost another sister in 2016 to senseless anti-trans violence

32 year old Crystal Edmonds was shot in the back of the head early Friday morning at approximately 3:00 AM in the 3600 block of Fairview Avenue in northwest Baltimore.

Edmonds. who is a resident of southwest Baltimore, was taken to a nearby hospital, where she died five hours later.

Edmonds is now the 21st trans person killed in the US this year, which sadly equals last year's total

If you live in the area, a $2000 reward is being offered for any information that will lead to the arrest and conviction of the waste of DNA who killed our sister, you are urged to call police at 410-396-2100, Metro Crime Stoppers at 866-7LOCKUP or text a tip to 413-902-4824.

Will be keeping an eye on this case until Crystal's killer is arrested . convicted, and rotting in jail. If there is any information concerning a vigil or memorial service for Crystal, I'll pass that along as well. .

Rest in power and peace, Crystal.

Two More USA Trans Women Lost In 2016

Once again, it's my sad duty to report that we have lost two more trans women, one in Maine, and one in Chicago which brings the death toll this year up to 20 with three months to go.

43 year old Lexxi Sironen's body was found floating in the Kennebec River on September 6 at 8:15 AM EDT near the water reservoir of the Brookfield Power Facility.   She was from Waterville, ME, lived along the riverbank and was associating with other transient people in the area.

Friends of Sironen think that foul play was involved in her death, and while an autopsy on the body has been done by the state medical examiner, the cause of death has yet to be announced.

There will be a memorial service held for Sironen on September 18 at 12:00 PM.

Waterville police are still investigating, and if you have information that will help solve this case, please call Waterville Police Detective David Caron at 680-4700.

I'm also tired of the mugshot being used instead of this pic I found on her memorial website.

In Chicago, the body of a 26 or 27 year old Black trans woman known as T.T. to all who loved her on Chicago's West Side was found with her throat slit in West Grant Park and the knife nearby on Sunday night.   Ironically T.T's body was found a mere two blocks from the spot where Paige Clay's body was found in 2012.

T.T was pronounced dead at the scene, and was misgendered by the Chicago Police Department, the Chicago Sun Times and the Chicago Tribune when they first reported the case.  It took subsequent reporting from the Windy City Times to correct the police and media misgendering.

There was a vigil held for T.T yesterday at the corner of Monroe and Kenton Streets in which a friend of T.T's named Jaliyah Armstrong stated that T.T had an altercation with another trans woman three days before she was found dead and that person threatened to kill her.

Hmm CPD, sounds like a lead in this case to me.

The Windy City Times in a 2015 investigative report by Gretchen Hammond documented the CPD's problems with misgendering trans people, but it's obvious that they still refuse to learn anything.

The investigation into T.T.'s death by the CPD is an ongoing one, but the local trans community is pessimistic that it will result in the arrest and prosecution of her killer.

If you have information that will lead to the arrest and conviction of T.T's killer, call Cook County Crime Stoppers at 1-800-535-STOP

Rest in power and in peace Lexxi and T.T.