Chrissie Bates, a 45-year-old transgender woman living in downtown Minneapolis who was recently sexually assaulted, was found stabbed to death in her apartment. Her neighbor blames the building’s management, which refused to pay to replace a broken window in Chrissie’s apartment: “A person is dead because of their inaction,” Bates says. “They won’t guarantee that the doors were locked and shut properly. She told me that she was concerned for her safety. Management said, that’s really not our problem, call the police.” Bates’ death — described as “complex homocidal violence” by the medical examiner, which listed her as a male with the name “Christopher Paul Bates” — is the city’s first homicide of the year. While police investigate the murder, OutFront Minnesota is holding a vigil Jan. 21.
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From this article I can’t say if she was killed because she was a transgender woman or not but it is a shame that violence seems to be a constant threat to trans folks. As a M2F (in Saskatchewan of all places), I am constantly reminded by the looks of disgust or occasional hurtful remarks that are directed my way when I’m in public that there is a long way to go before transgender people can go on about their lives without being seen as some kind of unpleasant abnormality. My heart goes out to Chrissie’s loved ones for their loss and I hope for swift justice for the person(s) responsible.