Three unsolved murders of transgender women of color last month continues a disturbing trend of murders of transgender and gender non-conforming women and people of color in the past few years, says the National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs.
According to a press release from the NCAVP:On Wednesday, April 3, Kelly Young (left), a 29-year-old black transgender woman, was found shot to death inside a home in Baltimore, Maryland.
Then on Thursday, April 4, 30-year-old Ashley Sinclair, a black transgender woman, was found shot to death in a wooded area in the Oak Ridge section of Orange County, Florida.
And on April 30, another young black transgender woman, Cemia Dove (right) also known as Ci Ci was found on April 17 in a retention pond in Olmsted Township, Ohio. Dove, a 20-year-old woman, had multiple stab wounds, was tied to a concrete block, and was found naked from the waist down. As of April 30, all three of these homicides remain unsolved.[…]NCAVP’s most recent report on hate violence, documented 30 anti-LGBTQ homicides in 2011, the highest number ever recorded by the coalition. Transgender women made up 40% of the 30 reported hate murders in 2011, while representing only 10% of total hate violence survivors and victims. Of the 30 reported hate murder victims in 2011, 87% were LGBTQ people of color.
NCAVP has partnered with the National Black Justice Coalition to bring attention to these unsolved murders, ensure that the lives of the victims are not forgotten or overlooked, and to suport the local communities affected by hate violence.
“Enough is enough. Three unsolved homicides within one month should elicit a national outcry,” said Sharon Lettman-Hicks, Executive Director and CEO at NBJC. “How many more lives must be lost before we take serious action to stop this madness?”
northwest
I hope they’re able to find the killers of these women.
Kieran
A couple years ago in Maplewood, NJ a black transgendered woman was shot in the head by some street hoods she had sex with them and then admitted she was born a male.
The killers were acquitted by a jury.
rodrigol
Thank you for covering this.
Antonio
I live in Cleveland, Ohio where Cemia Dove is from. You all will be comforted to know that there has been an arrest made in that horrific case. We can only hope that a trial sheds light on, and the events surrounding her untimely death and that justice is served so that her death has not been in vain. I pray that as our communtity watches this case unfold we set precident for the world to see that our community as a whole not just Cleveland, or the LGBTQQI will not stand for this malicious treatment of fellow human beings.