Remembering Transgender People of Color Slain in 2015
An ongoing trend of violence plagues embattled community.
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An Epidemic of Anti-Transgender Violence - From actress and activist Laverne Cox to Olympic champion and reality star Bruce Jenner, the visibility of transgender people in the U.S. has reached an all-time high. The stories shared by these high-profile figures have also highlighted the harrowing struggles that plague that community, particularly women of color who face a disproportionate amount of deadly anti-trans violence. Keep reading to learn more about the slain Black and Latina women whose deaths confirm an ongoing trend. — Patrice Peck(Photos from Left: Sumaya Dalmar via Facebook, Vanessa Santillan via Facebook, Taja's Coalition via Facebook)
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Kiesha Jenkins - Transgender woman Kiesha Jenkins was shot in the back and killed in Philadelphia in October, BuzzFeed News reports. Jenkins's death marks the second homicide of a transgender woman of color in the city in the last five months. (Photo: Kiesha Jenkins via Facebook)
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India Clarke - India Clarke, a Black transgender woman, was found beaten to death outside Tampa’s University Area Community Center in July. The 25-year-old was discovered near the park’s basketball courts by a park employee. According to authorities, Clarke suffered from blunt force trauma to the head. Her death is now being investigated as a murder case by the local police department.(Photo: India Clarke via Facebook)
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London 'KiKi' Chanel - London 'Kiki' Chanel, the 21-year-old trans woman, was killed in North Philadlephia following what is being called a domestic matter with roommate Raheam Felton. The Texas native was stabbed to death and laid out in front of the apartment building where the attacker and a neighbor tried to perform CPR but were unsuccessful. (Photo: London Chanel via Facebook)
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Sumaya Ysl - Somali trans woman Sumaya Ysl, 26, was found "unresponsive and pronounced dead at the scene” at an address in Toronto’s east end in February, according to authorities. The Toronto Police Service released a statement to address the young transgender Muslim woman’s death, which they deemed unsuspicious, to her huge wave of online supporters. “We certainly are sensitive to the relationship between the Toronto Police Service and trans communities,” said a police spokesperson. "We’ve worked very hard over the last little while to improve that relationship.”(Photo: Sumaya Dalmar via Facebook)
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Vanessa Santillan - Mexican native Vanessa Santillan, 33, was visiting London in March when local police found the trans woman fatally beaten on the head and neck. After failing to uncover any leads during their two-week investigation, the authorities appealed to the public for assistance. "We need to know why this has happened and we want help from anyone who knew her while she was in London," said lead Detective Rebecca Reeves.(Photo: Vanessa Santillan via Facebook)
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Lamia Beard - The death of Virginia resident Lamia Beard occurred in January, but little else is known about the tragedy. The 30-year-old transgender woman was found by police on a sidewalk suffering from a gunshot wound and later died of her injury at a local hospital.(Photo: Lamia Beard via Facebook)
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Taja Gabrielle DeJesus - Unlike many cases of anti-trans violence, the assailant whom police suspected of fatally stabbing Taja Gabrielle DeJesus multiple times on Feb. 1 was actually found by authorities. James Hayes, 49, was discovered hanging by his neck from a fence a half mile from where DeJesus's body was found. A San Francisco Police Department spokesman told reporters that the case was not being investigated as a hate crime, although it remains unclear how DeJesus and Hayes were connected. (Photo: Taja's Coalition via Facebook)
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Penny Proud - New Orleans resident Penny Proud, a Black trans woman, was fatally shot several times at 1:30 a.m. in the Treme neighborhood on Tuesday, according to NOLA.com. The 21-year-old's death marked the fifth slaying of a trans woman of color in 2015.(Photo: Penny Proud via Facebook)
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Ty Underwood - Ty Underwood of North Tyler, Texas, was shot and killed in January, but no arrests have been made in the murder. Friends of the 24-year-old trans woman claim she was being targeted. "She was lovely, just a lovely person. Very real, down to earth person who didn't deserve this, did not deserve this at all," her roommate, Coy Simmons, told KYTX. "This has to be a hate crime, this has to be a hate crime, nothing else because that was an upstanding person with a good heart."(Photo: Ty Underwood via Facebook)
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Michelle (Yazmin) Vash Payne - The brutal death of Michelle (Yazmin) Vash Payne in February marked the third reported murder of a trans woman of color in Los Angeles within four months. Payne, a 33-year-old transgender woman, died of multiple stab wounds after firefighters responding to reports of a fire at her residence discovered her body. "They’re killing us and nobody seems to care," trans advocate Bamby Salcedo told KCBS. "This is not an isolated incident. And it’s important that the LAPD continues to do what they’re supposed to do." Ezekiel Dear, 25, Payne's boyfriend and the prime suspect, turned himself in to police the following day.(Photo: CBS Los Angeles / KCAL)