Pgh Lesbian Correspondents

24-year-old Dejanay Stanton was murdered in Chicago on August 30, according to the Windy City Times.

Her body was discovered at the alley of 40th Street and King Drive at 12:30 p.m., after persons 88nearby said that they had heard gunshots. According to a Chicago Police Department spokesman, Stanton was discovered with a gunshot wound to the head and was transported to Stroger Hospital, where she was pronounced dead. Area Central Detectives are investigating.

A memorial balloon release is scheduled for 4 pm today ( Friday) 40th and King Street alley where she was killed.

As recent as this week, Dejanay herself acknowledged the vulnerability of Black trans women.

Dejanay is the 17th trans person known to have been murdered in the US this year. She is the 13th Black trans person and the 8th trans person under age 30, according to Monica Roberts at the blog TransGriot.

While her gender identity was apparently correctly addressed by law enforcement, her name was Jane Doe for awhile. It is awful to have to laud that small accuracy as some sort of victory – thanks for not making this worse?

That’s a tragic reflection on the ways we devalue trans lives in our country. It is important that we use the correct names to ensure visibility, to put faces on this unrelenting epidemic.

Rest in power, Dejanay. You deserved a long, happy, and safe life. May you know peace and joy now and may we lift up your name as we work for a more just world.

**Updated to reflect this is 2018, not 2017. I am very sorry for that error.

This is my list of transgender neighbors lost to violent deaths in 2018.

1. Christa Leigh Steele-Knudslien – Massachusetts (January 6) 42 years old
2. Viccky Gutierrez – Los Angeles (January 9), 33 years old
3. Tonya ‘Kita’ Harvey – Buffalo (February 6), 35 years old
4. Celine Walker – Jacksonville, Florida (February 4), 36 years old
5. Phylicia Mitchell – Cleveland (February 23), 46 years old
6. Zakaria Fry – Stanley, New Mexico (February 19), 28 years old
7. Amia Tyrae Berryman – Baton Rouge (March 26), 28 years old
8. Sasha Wall – Chesterfield, South Carolina (April 1), 29 years old
9. Karla Patricia Pavon-Flores – Dallas (May 9), 26 years old
10. Nino Fortson – Atlanta (May 13), 36 yeas old
11. Gigi Pierce – Portland (May 21), 28 years old
12. Antash’a English – Jacksonville (June 1), 38 years old
13. Cathalina Christina James – Jacksonville (June 24), 24 years old
14. Keisha Wells – Cleveland (June 24), 58 years old
15. Sasha Garden – Orange County, Florida (July 19), 27 years old
16. Diamond Stephens – Meridian, Mississippi (June 18) 39 years old
17. Dejanay Stanton -Chicago (August 30) 24 years old

This is a post where we are updating the investigations into these homicides.