Pgh Lesbian Correspondents

In the early morning hours of Monday, May 6, 2024, a father called 911 toreport that his 17 year old son had shot a friend in a car. The friend was a 18 year old trans woman named Jazlynn Johnson. Carson City Nevada police responded, took the shooter into custody, and declared Jazlynn dead at the scene.

The next day, Tuesday, May 7, 2024, police in Mobile, Alabama responded to reports of gunfire at the 1600 block of Darwood Drive around 3:30 a.m. Later that day, police arrested Carl Mitchell Washington Jr., 20, of Mobile. According to court paperwork, Washington fired 18 shots at the 17-year-old victim, Tay Dior.

The suspect in the Carson City shooting has not been identified because he is a minor. The Las Vegas Review Journal reports that if he is charged as an adult, his name will be released.

Sadly, a lot of the media and even family content misgenders and uses their deadnames. Not all.

Honoring Jazlynn and Tay

According to her parent who shared her obituary, Jazlynn was a bright and talented young woman with a promising future ahead of her. She was a beloved daughter, sister, and friend, known for her kind heart, easy going personality, love for makeup and Hello Kitty. Jazlynn was a dedicated student who excelled in her studies and was set to embark on a new chapter in her life after graduation in which she had dreams of attending cosmetology school.

Tay has a Facebook profile styled Tayy Dior. She was born and raised in Mobile. She had a twin brother, Braeden and two other siblings. She worked at AMC Theaters. Her friends are posting countless tributes. Her aunt claimed that with her “last breath she made sure to text her best friend who did it.” Tay’s family has established a crowdfund to help with her final expenses. No word on final arrangements for either girl.

Tay was scheduled to graduate this week. Jazlynn had recently graduated.

The Context

After the original post turned up flawed information, I pulled it and sought out the facts. So this context is as of May,

Jazlynn Johnson is the 17th trans person whose death is recorded in 2024. She is the 11th trans woman. I am not certain of her ethnic identity just yet.

Tay Dior is the 18th trans person whose death is recorded in 2024. She is the 12th trans woman on this list, the 13th trans person. of color, the fifth Black trans woman, and the seventh Black trans person.

This year, we have documented the deaths of four high school students, connected by a rhetoric of hate and violence. We know one student was assaulted in their school. We know another ran away from all of their family, but maintained some connection with their peers. We know on was shot by another teen, possibly a classmate? What was school like for all of them? It seems they had varying degrees of family support. Their vulnerabilities are not necessarily inherent with the trans experience, but it is essential to understand that their identity is absolutely a part of who they are, stem to stern.

Nex Benedict was 16. River Nevaeh was 17. Tay Dior was also 17. And Jazlynn Johnson was 18.

As of today, we have documented the death of a trans neighbor every 7.1 days. That window is narrowing every week. The year isn’t half over. What are we doing to protect trans kids?

Jazlynn and Tay, you had the world in front of you. That should still be the case. Thank you for bringing joy and creativity into our world. Thank you for being typical teens and also uniquely your own selves. I am so very sorry that we did not protect you. I hope we can tell your stories more robustly. It matters that you walked with us, even if for too short a time.

May your memories be a revolution.

Note: I confirmed the photo of Jazlynn Johnson with her parent who reached out to me after reading my apology.

This is our list

This is our list of transgender, nonbinary, and gender nonconforming neighbors who have been victims of the campaign of terror in 2024. Please do not copy, modify, or share this list without attribution.

1. Kitty Monroe – January 1, 2024. Phoenix, Arizona. Age 43.
2. Nex Benedict – February 8, 2024. Owasso, Oklahoma. Age 16.
3. Righteous Torrence ‘T K’ Chevy Hill – February 29, Atlanta. Georgia. Age 35.
4. Reyna Hernandez – Between Feb 28 and March 28, location TBD. Age 54.
5. Diamond Cherish Brigman – March 16, 2024, Houston, Texas. Age 36.
6. Alex Franco – March 19, 2024. Salt Lake City, Utah. Age 21.
7. Meraxes Medina – March 19, 2024, Los Angeles, California. Age 24.
8. Cecilia Gentili – February 6, 2024, New YorkCity, New York. Age 52.
9. Ryan Zimmerman – Sept 2015, Columbus OH Age 21 Murdered 2016, Identified 2020, reported 2024.
10. Lagend Billions aka Tee Arnold – April 7, 2024, Miami, Ohio. Age 36.
11. África Parrilla García – February 2, 2024, San Juan, Puerto Rico. Age 25.
12. Nevaeh ‘River’ Goddard – April 5, 2024,. Stow, Massachusetts. Age 17,
13. Andrea Doria Dos Passos – April 22, 2024, Miami, Florida. Age 37.
14. Sasha Williams – January 26, 2024, Las Vegas, Nevada. Age 36.
15. Kita Bee – May 3, 2024, Kansas City, Missouri. Age 46.
16. Starr Brown – April 19, Memphis, Tennessee. Age 28.
17. Jazlynn Johnson – May 6, Carson City, Nevada. Age 18.
18. Tay Dior – May 7, Mobile, Alabama. Age 17.