Another Transwoman Killed-This Time In Harlem

Harlem is the legendary and historic heart of New York City for African Americans, but unfortunately it is also the place where Camila Guzman died.

Camila was found brutally murdered in her Harlem apartment on August 1 and as you probably guessed, the tabloids and the news media there are exhibiting their usual sterling journalism in reporting this story.

"Camila's friends and the transgender community overall are not happy with her portrayal in the news. As transgender people, we feel alone and like we're invisible targets for violence," said Ruby Teresa Chavez, friend of Camila Guzman. "We deserve respect and increased advocacy around the prevention of anti-transgender violence."

This comes in the wake of Lashai Mclean's murder in Washington D.C., and literally a day after someone attempted to shoot another DC African-American transwoman a block from the same area where Lashai was killed but fortunately missed.

I'm also troubled by the news that a longtime radfem hater of this community, Cathy Brennan along with Elizabeth Hungerford submitted a paper to the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women that advocates denial of basic civil rights coverage to transwomen.

But back to Camila's story.


"We are saddened and troubled by the death of another member of our community," said Michael Silverman, executive director of the Transgender Legal Defense and Education Fund. "This horrible murder further underscores the violence transgender people, and particularly transgender women of color, face in their daily lives. Our thoughts and prayers are with Camila Guzman's family and friends."

Indeed they are.

Happy 22nd Birthday Angie Zapata!

Today would have been the 22nd birthday of Angie Zapata.   

But instead of her celebrating with family and friends as she blew out candles from a birthday cake or going out with her girls at a local club to probably dance the night away, she is looking down upon us with the rest of our sisters who were tragically taken away from us.

This was the post I wrote on the occasion of her 21st birthday last year.

This day is even harder on the Zapata family as they struggle to understand and deal with the void that has been left in their lives, and please hold this family and all who knew and loved Angie in your prayers today.

Rest in peace Angie.   You will never be forgotten, and you transbrothers and transsisters in Colorado and around the world will ensure that your name is never forgotten either.

'I Am The Queen' Documentary

I Am The Queen is a documentary produced by Josue Pellot and Henriique Cirne-Lima that focuses on a group of Latina trans women in the Humboldt Park neighborhood of Chicago and a 2010 trans pageant organized and sponsored by VIDA/Sida.   




Trailer 2

Harmony Santana Sundance Interview

As some of you TransGriot readers know, the movie Gun Hill Road has a trans woman actually playing a transwoman in Harmony Santana.  The film has been making the rounds in the various TBLG film festival circuit including Houston's, which I missed (darn it) because I found out about it too late..

Gun Hill Road is being released this weekend and really looking forward to seeing it at my favorite multiplex.

But the person I'm most happiest for is Harmony, who got the opportunity to play this character with Esai Morales,  Judy Reyes and some other kick butt actors.   Here's the video of her interview from the 2011 Sundance Film Festival.

3rd Anniversary of Angie Zapata's Death

Three years ago on this date we were beginning to hear the news about a young Latina transwoman named Angie Zapata who was found dead in her apartment in Greeley, CO.     My first report here at TransGriot about it was in conjunction with my rant about the jacked up media coverage misgendering her. 

Allen Andrade, the waste of DNA who committed the crime was later arrested, tried and convicted in a trial that was televised around the nation courtesy of TruTV.   Thanks to Crystal Ann Gray, I was blessed to have her reports on the progress of the trial.  

Even as we were witnessing this historic trial, indicators that we still had a long way to go in terms of educating the public about the reality of our lives still persisted because I had to call out legal commentator Gwendolyn Lindsay-Jackson for referring to Angie as 'it'.


But while Allen Andrade is now locked up in a Colorado prison getting 'three hots and a cot' for the rest of his life, Angie's family and all who loved her are having to deal with the void in their lives because she's not here.  The rest of us are left to wonder what kind of contributions would she have made to society if she was still around?


And sadly, we're still having to light candles for our transpeeps every November because somebody hates them and all of us for who we are.

Mexican Trans Asylum Seeker In Canada Speaks

Ori Garcia is a transwoman seeking asylum in Canada because over the last few years It's gotten rough for my transssisters living south of the border.   I suspect much of the problem happens to be the anti-trans hatred that has filtered down from the Vatican to the flock, and Mexico is a Roman Catholic country.

They are facing more hostile treatment, especially in rural areas up to and including being killed.    Those concerns led to a Mexican transwoman being granted asylum last month in the United States. 

Here's Ori telling her story at a Vancouver Public Library event sponsored by the Canadian Red Cross.