Let's Talk About Transgender Day of Remembrance
It wasn't bigotry that killed them
Each November, the media and activist groups across the nation center a “Transgender Day of Remembrance” on many of their platforms, inviting the world to stop and reflect on the trans identified people who lost their lives to violence in the previous year.
It’s always a good idea to honor the sanctity of lives lost. I don’t have a problem with this. All murder is tragic and senseless and devastating. No one deserves it.
The appropriate response to murder is grief. All murder victims were humans made in God’s image and deeply loved by their families and friends. Their lives had meaning. Their deaths do, too.
If people are sincere in their desire to honor the dead by reducing violence, we need to take an honest look at the factors related to the violence. Victims are NOT to be blamed for their own murders, but if trends emerge in the factors surrounding their deaths, these trends should be noted and addressed, trends like homelessness, drug use, and intimate partner violence. Many of the deceased were involved in sex work, arguably one of the most dangerous professions on the planet.
The mainstream narrative refuses to acknowledge these factors. It lumps all cases together and manipulates the public into believing there’s an epidemic of bigotry culminating in a slew of violent hate crimes. They want you to believe people are dying because of stigma. They want you to believe that black trans “women” are being racially profiled and targeted, when, in fact, over 95% of the people being charged with these crimes committed them against their own race.
Each year, the HRC publishes a list of the trans identified people who have been murdered. I decided to learn about the people being grieved. There is very little information available about a number of them, especially the most recent tragedies that are just now beginning to be investigated. Here’s what I was able to discover about the crimes where a suspect had been named. As many of these trials are still ongoing without a concrete conviction, please insert an obligatory “allegedly” before each of the claims:
2019-20
Tracy Single was murdered by a jealous boyfriend named Joshua Dominic Bourgeouis.
Ashanti Carmon was tragically shot to death. No arrests have been made, but it is known that Ashanti was engaged in prostitution, the world’s most dangerous profession.
Claire Legato was shot by John Booth in a domestic dispute over a tax return check.
Muhlaysia Booker was shot to death by Kendrell Lavar Lyles during a drug transaction.
Michelle Tamika Washington was shot by a man he knew, Troy Bailey, who claims to have been in a dispute with Washington over the sale of a firearm. Authorities report than gender identity was not a factor during this crime.
Paris Cameron was one of several people shot by Devon Robinson, who, according to Detroit News, was an angry ex boyfriend of one of the victims.
Chanel Scurlock was killed on a date with Javaras Hammonds, a man he had met via Plenty of Fish.
Zoe Spears was shot and killed by Gerardo Thomas in a “sex work” proposition turned violent. Thomas’ defense attorneys claim their client feared for his life.
Brooklyn Lindsey was killed by Marcus Lewis after Lindsey propositioned Lewis for sex and followed him after he declined the offer.
Itali Marlowe was shot and killed by his roommate Raymond Donald Williams during a fight.
Layleen Cubilette Polanco died of epilepsy while in solitary confinement at Rykers.
Kiki Fantroy was shot by William Watson, a 17 year old with a lengthy criminal history, over a fight involving a proposition for sex.
Bubba Walker was a homeless man whose body was found in the remains of an abandoned house that had burned in a fire with an unknown cause.
2020-21
Fifty Bandz was shot to death by boyfriend Michael Joshua Brooks, who had threatened to kill him many times before.
Chyna Carillo was beaten to death by Juan Carter Hernandez, a boyfriend with a violent history of murdering his wife.
Jeffrey Bright and Jasmine Canaday:were trans/nonbinary siblings shot in the head by their mother who was afraid of losing them in a custody dispute and said it would be better for them to not be alive than to be removed from her custody.
Diamond Kyree Sanders was shot to death in his apartment parking lot during random robbery. Police arrested three perpetrators and have stated that it was “a crime of greed, not bias.”
Jaida Peterson and Remy Fennell were both killed by Joel Brewer and Dontarius Long in hotel rooms after the men solicited sex from them
Dominique Lucious: was shot in his apartment by a man he met on a dating website.
Natalia Smut was stabbed to death by boyfriend Elijah Segura
Keri Washington was killed by his domestic partner who bashed Keri’s head against a light pole.
Whispering Wind Bear Spirit was shot to death during an attempted robbery.
Sophie Vasquez was shot to death by Pedro Silva-Renterina, an acquaintance. No motive has been released, but police determined it was not related to gender identity.
Danika Henson was shot to death. Perpetrator yet unknown, but family members believe it was an intimate partner.
Thomas Hardin was shot to death by Tyler Terry, a former romantic partner.
Taya Ashton was fatally shot by DeAllen Davonta Price, a sexual partner.
Shai Vanderpump: was shot by Daniel Smith in apartment. There was no defined motive, but the two had been seen together at a party earlier that night.
Zoella Rose Martinez: was killed by Jacaree Rashad Hardy when Zoella confronted him about money he had fraudulently stolen from Zoella’s account.
Jo Acker died a hero while serving as a security guard. Acker confronted an active shooter named Jacob Berquist who ultimately killed him.
Rikki Outumurro was shot by boyfriend Cristopher Allen Gaudrau.
2021-22
Daniel Aston and Kelly Loving were killed in Club Q shootings by a self-identified non-binary person
Martasia Richmond was stabbed to death by his boyfriend, Daniel Burley.
Kitty Monroe was shot by Samuel Ward Jr in domestic dispute
Shawmaynè Giselle Marie was shot in a domestic dispute with Makhari Seven Gasaway. During the altercation, Shawmayne’s 14-year-old sister was also shot.
Sasha Mason was shot to death during a robbery. The local Police Chief reported, “There is no evidence that would indicate that [Mason’s] murder had anything to do with the LGBTQ status…Evidence suggests that the motive for the crime was robbery.”
Chanelika Y'Ella Dior Hemingway was shot to death. The suspect is identified as Iaeir Robinson, a career criminal with a lengthy rap sheet related to drugs
Ray Muscat believed she was man. She was murdered by her boyfriend, who identifies as a woman. So in this case, we have textbook heterosexual domestic violence with a male aggressor and a female victim.
Fern Feather was allegedly stabbed to death by Seth Brunell, who has a history of violence and mental instability. It’s possible that Brunell mistakenly believed Fern was involved in a previous altercation with Brunell’s son.
Ariyanna Mitchell was shot by Jimmy LeShawn Williams when Mitchell intervened in a fight at a party.
Miia Love Parker was shot to death. Police identified Saad Najeed Dwight as the suspect. Dwight’s rap sheet includes criminal homicide, third-degree murder, and possession of a firearm not to be carried without a license.
Kenyatta ‘Kesha” Webster was murdered during a robbery
Kathryn “Katie” Newhouse was killed by his father in a murder-suicide situation. Kathryn’s brother says the family was plagued by mental illness and chronic violent outbursts and meltdowns.
Matthew Angelo Spampinato was killed in a hit and run incident while walking home from work.
Naomie Skinner was fatally shot by his boyfriend, Michael Cortez Norris
Cypress Ramosfa- was murdered by Allen Michael Montemayor, an acquaintance who was very likely linked to Cypress because of their shared addiction to methamphetamines. Montemayor told police that a song told him he had to kill Cypress.
All of their lives had meaning. All of their lives should be mourned. But they weren’t primarily killed by bigotry. NONE of them were killed by TERFs. They were killed by violent ex boyfriends. They were killed while engaged in prostitution, one of the world’s deadliest professions. They were killed in domestic disputes with people they knew. They were killed in drug deals gone terribly wrong.
Honor their lives by telling the truth about their deaths in order to correctly identify and thus address the actual trends that are stealing their lives. If you don’t care enough to address the problems that actually kill them, you’re probably just virtue signaling, which is not honoring to them at all.