This has been a tough month, no doubt about it. From Repent Amarillo targeting teenaged girls to the Pittsburgh Dyke Trans March being TERFd (and possibly secretly recorded), it has been an exhausting month.
But the worst has happened – a fourth trans woman of color has been found murdered, this time in Walnut Hills, Ohio just outside of Cincinnati. From Outlook Columbus:
A 28-year-old transgender woman was found dead yesterday morning in the middle of a Cincinnati street.
Tiffany Edwards had been shot to death, according to news reports, which said her body was discovered about 8 a.m. Thursday by a city sanitation driver.
Tiff is the fourth trans woman of color to be murdered in June, 2013 and the fourth trans woman murdered in Ohio in the past 18 months.
Per the National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs, in California, Zoraida Reyes’s body was discovered on Thursday June 12th behind a Dairy Queen, her death has been ruled suspicious by investigators because it is believed her body was moved to that location, but has not yet been ruled a homicide. On June 3rd, the body of Kandy Hall was discovered in a field in Northeast Baltimore in what local police believe to be a homicide. And on June 19th, the body of Yaz’min Shancez was found behind a Budget Truck Rental on Powell Street in Fort Myers, Florida. According to local media reports, local police believe her death to be a homicide, and her body had been burned.
Prior to this, in Ohio alone:
• Cemia “CeCe” Dove, 20, was killed in January 2013 and her body was found three months later in a pond outside Cleveland. Andrey Bridges, 36, was convicted in November and sentenced to life in prison.
• Betty Skinner, 52, was found dead in her Cleveland apartment in December by a home health worker.
• Nicole Kidd Stergis, 22, was found dead in a car in Cleveland, also in December. She had been beaten to death. Delshawn Carroll, 19, was arrested and charged with aggravated murder earlier this month.
Of course, Ohio media misgendered Tiff, dishonoring her even in the aftermath of a brutal death. So I’m asking you to honor Tiff’s life and the lives of her sisters – CeCe, Betty, Nicole, Zoraida, Kandy and Yaz’min however you can. Whether that be prayer, thoughts, righteous anger, volunteering or by being extra attentive to the trans women in your lives – let’s put some good energy out there to offset these terrible losses.
The Buckeye Region Anti Violence Organization seems to be taking the lead in coordinating a community response to this violent act and will hopefully provide details on final arrangements.
We MUST take care of one another, my friends.
Rest in peace. Rest in power, Tiff.
UPDATE from Monica Roberts at TransGriot:
TransGriot Update: Cincinnati Police are looking for Quamar Edwards in connection with the murder of Tiffany.
Quamar Edwards is 5’10” inches and weighs 250 pounds. Edwards was last known to live in the 1000 Block of Winfield Ave Cincinnati, Ohio 45205 in West Price Hill.
Edwards should be considered Armed and Dangerous……..Help Police get Edwards off the Street!
If you have information that will assist in bringing him to justice please call 513-352-3040.
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Hi, I was following the violence against transwomen, and they love to portray in the media any jail or prison uniform mugshot they have on file of us. Are there some pics of her not in jail garb. Its the only photo I seen and this was a issue last year and it hasn’t been mentioned lately as the recent killings mostly had no record. Maybe I’m crazy or maybe you know where I’m coming from.
Hi Jennifer.
You bring up an excellent point. Finding verifiable photos to help tell the stories of our sisters can be very hard if I don’t know someone in their community. I have reached out to find others and will publish when I do. It is unfortunate that the typical public photos are from arrests or state issued ID both of which can be a problem. I promise that I will keep trying.
Thank you this photo of her is great! Thanks for all of us who may be there someday too. I would rather the world see my military ID than my mugshot, And IF the world wanted to portray an accurate everyday view of the real me; it would be as a parent… Nothing special, nothing fancy, just your ordinary minivan driving, Karate Mom who has had defend herself from attack before.
There are beautiful pics of Tiff on her Facebook page….. Tiffany Chanel…. It says female illusionist ….
Lanie – Thank you for the lead. I tried to find her FB timeline using this information, but I was unsuccessful. Could you please email me at pghlesbian@gmail.com? I do want to make this right. I have two other leads on photos but I’m waiting for confirmation. Thanks.
I’ve updated the post with a verified image of Tiffany that celebrates her life, not her death. I’m having some woes with FB using the image so if it doesn’t show up, I apologize. I’ll keep working behind the scenes to figure that out.