Pgh Lesbian Correspondents

The Crime

A Black trans woman was shot and killed last week in an Atlanta suburb. Shannon Boswell, 30, was then run over by a car.

Officials assumed Shannon was the victim of a hit and run. Friends and family reported the shooting to law enforcement, but they only responded when the medical examiner’s report revealed the gunshot wound as the cause of death.

According to The Advocate, a local who declined to be identified, claimed there was “a gunshot and then a few seconds later, it sounded like a car crash or like someone going over the median or something like that. It was very fast, very like, what’s just going on.”

No word on the investigation.

Honoring Shannon

Shannon was born and raised in Atlanta. She attended McEachern High School in Powder Springs, Georgia. Shannon was in a relationship – her boyfriend was advocating to the police on her behalf. In December, Shannon reported that her boyfriend had been stabbed multiple times, but was recovering well.

Shannon was also known as Nelly.

Shannon followed local musicians. Her social media feeds are filled with fun images exploring creative hairstyles, makeup, and fashion. She was also quite a foodie. One image she used as her profile picture is delightful – she has long curly gray hair and is wearing a Golden Girls tee shirt.

Shannon was also a big fan of dogs, especially puppies. Shannon’s mother, grandmother, and sibling have poured their grief and love across Facebook. Some content misgenders Shannon, but the love is palpable. Burying your 30 year old sister/daughter/granddaughter is a terrible thing.

A candlelight memorial was held in Wildhorse Creek Park on July 6, 2024. Shannon’s mother has requested donations via CashApp $TammyBoswell/

The Context

My list now includes 25 individuals whose deaths were discovered this year. This number is likely not complete as there are multiple reports that have yet to be confirmed.

She is the 17th trans woman, the 8th Black trans woman, and the 14th trans woman of color on our list. In total 17 out of the 25 individuals were BIPOC folx. As of today, a trans person has died in our country every 7.36 days this year. At this point in 2023, I had memorialized 15 people, a sobering difference.

I’ve documented 12 other killings in Georgia since 2020: Righteous Torrence ‘TK’ Chevy Hill  (2024) Tortuguita (2023) Ashley Burton (2023) Rasheeda Williams (2023) Kathryn Newhouse  (2022) Keshia Chanel Geter (2022) Bianca ‘Muffin’ Bankz (2021) Sophie Vasquez  (2021) Serenity Hollis (2021) Aja Raquell Rhone-Spears (2020) Felycya Harris (2020) Scott DeVore, also known as Scottlynn Kelly DeVore (2020)

Rest in power, Shannon. You deserved to be a Golden Girl, to grow older and wiser, to seize all the moments these people have denied you. Thank you for bringing creativity and zest into the world. I am sorry we did not create a safer Georgia for you.

May your memory be a revolution.

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, 2024, Carson City, Nevada. Age 18.
18. Michelle Henry – May 15, 2024, San Francisco, California. Age 25.
19. Unknown Name – June 17, Denver, Colorado. Age unknown.
20. Paris Rich Jessup – 13 June 2022, San Diego, California. Age 25.
21. Kit Nelson-Mora, – 2021/2022 Washington State, 2022. Age 18.
22. Niomi Jenkins – May 2024 San Francisco
23. Tayy Dior Thomas – May 7, 2024, Mobile, Alabama. Age 17
24. Pauly Likens – June 23, 2024, Sharon, Pennsylvania. Age 14
25. Shannon Boswell – July 2, 2024, Atlanta, Georgia. Age 30.