Pgh Lesbian Correspondents

“This time, I can stand before you,” she added. “Whereas in other scenarios, we are at a memorial.”

A Black transwoman in Dallas who survived a brutal attack just a month ago has died from a gun shot wound she sustained on Saturday. Police do not believe the incidents are connected, but haven’t ruled it out. She is the fourth Black trans woman reported murdered in the US this year and as the next blog post illustrates, she is one of three Black trans woman to die from violence in a week span.

Muhlaysia Booker was 23 years old. She grew up in Dallas, attended LSU, and worked as part of a cabaret in her hometown. Her Facebook feed is filled with tributes to her family, memes, posts celebrating her sexuality, and the other every day experiences we all might take for granted.

In mid-April, she was involved in a minor car accident and then found her car swarmed by a crowd. She was physically assaulted and verbally abused. Muhlaysia suffered a concussion and broken wrist from repeated punches and kicks, the Morning News reported. A suspect was indicted on assault charges and is out on bond.

A video of the episode showed a man the authorities identified as Mr. Thomas repeatedly punching a woman on the ground as she struggled. Other men in the crowd kicked her before a group of women helped her get away. The police said that people in the crowd shouted anti-gay slurs during the beating, and that Ms. Booker was hospitalized with a concussion and a fractured wrist.

On Saturday May 18, Dallas police responded to the shooting call in the 7200 block of Valley Glen Drive at around 6:40 a.m near the Tenison Park Golf Course. She was found dead from a gunshot wound.There is no other information available as of now and no suspect has been identified. 

It is shocking to think one young woman could experience two such violent incidents in a two month span. Typically, I would say it defies logic that the incidents are not related, but given the onslaught of anti-trans sentiment and the epidemic of fatal violence we’ve documented in recent years (at least 24 US victims during 2018), that assumption may not be valid – it may be quite possible that the incidents are unrelated. And either way, the violence and hatred is what presents the threat. It isn’t less awful if the incidents were or were not related. It simply requires us to acknowledge that our trans neighbors, especially Black trans women, are subjected to horrible levels of abuse and violence every single day in the United States for the crime of existing.

There are not details yet on the final arrangements for Muhlaysia. We will provide updates as they become available.

“This time, I can stand before you,” she added. “Whereas in other scenarios, we are at a memorial.” These were the words of Muhlaysia Booker during a news conference after she was attacked in April. This time, the time of her murder on May 18, 2019, she can no longer stand before us.

Rest in power, Muhlaysia. You deserved a long happy life and to stand before us, to speak to us about your experiences for years to come.

My list of transgender neighbors lost during the calendar year 2019

1. Dana Martin – Montgomery, Alabama. January 6, 2019. Age: 31.
2. Ashanti Carmon – Fairmount Heights, Maryland. March 30, 2019. Age: 27
3. Claire Legato – Cleveland. May 14, 2019. Age: 21
4. Muhlaysia Booker – Dallas. May 18, 2019. Age 23.