“Police confirmed on Tuesday afternoon the identity of a homicide victim found near a local gay and lesbian bar. According to the Fayetteville Police Department, officers found transgender drag performer Imaje Devera (born Jimmy Ali McCollough), 34, shortly after midnight on April 14 in front of 119 Joseph St. The body was found near Club Emages, formerly Club Spektrum. Police are not releasing any more information at the time, including how the victim died, citing the sensitive nature of the case. Club Emages owner Dy’Mond Cartier told Raleigh news station WRAL that police said Devera had been stabbed and that the case was being investigated as a hate crime.”
And isn’t this the revelation: “The club was not open on Monday evening, so it is not immediately clear why Devera was in the area. However, sources have told Q-Notes that Devera was involved in prostitution as a way to support herself. In many instances, transgender individuals are forced to engage in prostitution as a livelihood, due to high rates of anti-gay and anti-transgender employment discrimination.”
[Q Notes]
hardmannyc
I could never figure out that whole tranny prostitution thing, but then, I guess there are guys like Eddie Murphy who like them. Anyway, sad all the way around.
ajax
It’s just soul-crushing to continue to read these articles. So sad for this young woman and the family and friends she leaves behind. Heaven just got a little prettier.
wesnemenz
Absolutely horrible.
I’m from North Carolina, and this breaks my heart.
@Hardmannyc you don’t get the whole “tranny prostitution” thing because you’re too busy making jokes about it rather than spending time trying to understand the reasons why they turn to it. Also, there are perfectly normal people who like to have sex with trans people, believe it or not.
Jonathan
@hardmannyc: There are lots of professedly straight men who like sex with trans people, prostitutes or not. The fact that trans people are forced into prostitution by hateful or simply uninformed employers makes it more frequently the former, I think.
A teacher of mine once told me that there are statistics which suggest the in most encounters between trans prostitutes and men, the trans person is the top…. wish I had a source for that, but it’s interesting to think about the dynamics and identities of the johns in these situations…
/slightly off topic commentary
wesnemenz
Also, just to update this:
There is no factual evidence to suggest that Jimmy presented as female. In fact, all reports have shown that he performed as a drag queen, and presented in his daily life as a male.
Not that that makes much of a difference to most, but I imagine to the trans individuals out there, it’s important to clarify the distinctions, since the media so rarely does.
Dabq
So sad, and, a hate crime is a possibility, but, I would assume that NC does have it on the books if the killer is caught.
As for trany’s, while I don’t understand it myself, they deserve to be treated with dignity like everyone else, and, most of the folks they have sex with say they are ‘straight’ and are some of the biggest homophobes out there from most accounts for some odd reason.
Katherine
I am a transwoman, but I’m not going to try in a few sentences to get you to understand us. But, what crime have we committed? To often in most states, we can be fired or not hired solely because we present ourselves as the gender we were not physically born into. Why? Why the discrimination? That is what forces many to go into prostitution. I have a masters degree, but I’m looked down upon. Why? Why are we such a threat to men that they feel they must attack us and many times kill us? What have we done to you? NOTHING!. That is why we need an ENDA law (end discrimination in employment) and be included in the hate crime laws. We have done nothing wrong and yet so many are victims. We have so much to offer, just as other people. Why not just treat us as we present? I’m a woman, treat me as a normal woman. A transman is a male. Treat him as just another male. Is that so hard?
gloria
here here katherine…God bless you…such a sad story. i hate knowing that my lgbt community has come so far, and then suffers a loss such as this. no matter what Imaje Devera identified as or no matter how Imaje decided to live life daily, the homocide of someone in our community should not be taken lightly.
to hardmannyc…your chosen name must be very reflective of how your soul is. i too, am from nyc…and although its a rough and tumble city, i make it a point to find ways to give back, to see the beauty in things and to make sure daily events don’t harden my heart or soul and don’t narrow my focus or my mind. here’s hoping you find it in your heart to try it sometime.
Champagne
I live in Greenville,North Carolina,I am Originally from San Francisco,California,The capital of the World,Queer USA.However,People can be soooo Ignorant here at times,it’s a very conservative,sheltered,Redneck,closeted,Closed-minded environment,even the Gay community here is some what not as proud as i am to be in public and be themselves,unless they are in the Gay club and thats when they are Flamboyant-acting and Gay as Hell.SCARY! I am Gay & I am Proud to be Homosexual,Transgender and Androgynous.It is sad that North Carolina is still behind and that our Gay community has no sense of Pride.They hide and pretend they don’t see you,in pubic,and act all funny.I think we should all march the streets like we do in San Francisco and let people know we are proud and Fabulous people,Because Honey I know I am,I work-it every day,not caring what people say or how they look at me crazy or snicker and all that sarcasm and attitude,Fuck that! Do you and be Proud of it,People.Being Gay is a Wonderful thing,Just have morals and respect for yourself and other people,Straight nor Gay.You only live once!
jenny
this is really sad but very believable ….i live about 2 hrs from fayette-nam as they call I am tg….this is a hard life here…but we can change that theres always hope..
KIERSTEN WOODS
FIRSTLY, FAYETTEVILLE,is beautiful..its truly on the edge of cosmopolitan….this story of this murder is awful…but for me,,its thrilling—-im here in town,,right now— come and get me MOFO…i’ll cut off your balls and sew them back on…just to cut them off again….we all have to understand—that with blood and gore…comes love…jesus proved that—how much blood does jesus want us to be washed in? let us pray…and ask for those naughty alleged sins—to washed away in the blood of the lamb—-silence of the lambs…sadly bunny screams are even worse….peace and tranquility…
Scott
That Kersten post is uh, ‘odd’ to say the least. Bunny screams? You need help, so go get it. Jesus ain’t workin’ for you apparantly.
I live in NC and it’s true that it’s supposedly a Democratic state and yet it also has some of the least effective political clout on Capitol Hill. Why? Because they don’t want to be involved,that’s why. They want to keep the state a rural, land owners, good ol’ boy club where huntin’ and fishin’ and NASCAR and queer hatin’ and go to church on Sunday just to be two faced the rest of the time is THE NORM.
Sometimes these people are secretly attracted to men in drag or women in drag. But religion and upbringing confuses it, scares them with supposed Hellfire, worry of ‘social standing’ rejections etc etc. So the attraction is compounded by resentment because there’s no way to express their true feelings. They see someone expressing their true selves instead of forcing themselves to adopt all the fear, ignorance, and hate of the Status Quo and resent it. They get bitter about it and angry. Some goes as far to plot against the person, to pester them in some way. It’s sad how empty their lives are.
But it’s not a ‘they’ who murdered this woman directly. It’s a person who did this and whatever person that is will hopefully be brought to real justice, not small town justice where they may be actually clapped on the back at the bbq for gettin’ rid uh thay’m kweerz…understand? If I were a relative of this human life now snuffed out, I would hire an attorney and demand a Federal level investigation with agents from outside the states borders.
Don’t stop being yourselves and for gods sakes, blaze the trail for others as they have for you and BE OUT and BE PROUD. More importantly, you need to support each other publically, not shy away, not play the two-faced traitor. There is safety in numbers so find your people, hang in with them, and then find more people. Don’t hide, don’t panic. That’s EXACTLY what fear mongerers want. They WANT you to be paranoid and supsicious like they are. They want you to live a lie, like they do. Even if they aren’t, they still want other people to live like themselves so they feel socially supported in their perspective.
So you too have to be socially supported in your perspective. What the outrageously inhumanity of this crime reflects is that too many are walking alone. Don’t do that. Meet together, play together, have fun together, cry together, dance together and live a life that IGNORES those involved in a state of arressted development. You can’t help them. But you can help yourselves. PRIDE. Lions have prides too, so find yours and also be friendly and helpful to new people interested in the fold.
Do not let this womans light be extinguished!!
Respect and compassion to the womans family and freinds who lost her. May she dance in peace now…
tonykeywest
dosnt make me sad. Im glad this pervert is in hell and the world is a little safer for little boys.
tonykeywest
@Scott: this freak is in hell.