Pgh Lesbian Correspondents

Please note that while we can confirm Kenji identified as trans, there are conflicting reports on whether she identified as a trans person or a trans woman or some other identity. We have opted to use the most neutral language possible to highlight Kenji’s story. We will make updates as they are available.

Kenji Spurgeon, a Black trans person, was 23 years old. They died in Seattle earlier this month under murky circumstances.

From The Seattle Times

Spurgeon, 23, was killed shortly before 12:30 a.m. on July 1 along 10th Avenue, south of Cal Anderson Park. Few details have been released about what happened. Seattle Police spokesperson Eric Muñoz said homicide detectives are investigating the shooting and do not believe it was targeted.

There have been no arrests announced in the case. But Homicide is involved and they said is was a shooting death.

Police called on the public for assistance in the investigation. Anybody with information is asked to call the SPD Violent Crimes Tip Line at (206) 233-5000.

Honoring Kenji

Kenji was born and raised in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. They relocated to Seattle. Kenji began dancing in middle school and seems to have never stopped.

According to their socials, Kenji was a can of the Atlanta Falcons. They enjoyed doing makeup and hair, often posting cute selfies. Kenji liked 2Pac, multiple Seattle music stations and lots of Disney.

Kenji’s family set up a crowdfund to support the final arrangements.

Kenji was a bright light in our lives, known for an infectious smile and quick wit,” a remembrance reads. “Kenji had an extraordinary ability to uplift everyone around with laughter, a joke, a song, or a dance. Kenji inspired us all to seek joy and be cheerleaders for one another.”

The Lavender Rights Project organized a vigil on July 24, 2024 in Seattle. after noting a decided silence about their murder.

On July 1st, 2024 we lost a young Black trans sibling and we heard not an outcry. Not a vibrant buzz from our community in Capitol Hill, not an outpour of outrage for a call to rally. Our local news sources retracted their resources and the publishing of the senseless death of Kenji Spurgeon was made invisible on the pages. Or the information provided was so limited it made her virtually invisible. Kenji’s Black Trans life mattered and we mourn the absences and the invisibility of what we can not know. We mourn the silence of her story that has taken 18 days to reach our community. We mourn the ways gun violence took a 23 year old’s life, full of promise, and we bear the weight of knowing these tragedies are not Washington state specific.

Jaelynn Scott, executive director of the Lavender Rights Project, said one goal of the vigil was to get more media coverage of their death. Let’s make sure all of the outlets are honoring Kenji’s life and acknowledging their death. Let’s look closer at what happened with Seattle media.

Musical and poetic performances were held in honor of Spurgeon as community members huddled around the pathway on Wednesday. Posters with Spurgeon’s face and interests were passed around as speakers shared their desire to end gun violence.

After the speeches and performances, attendees lit candles at the altar for Spurgeon and took roses to the site of their death.

Kenji’s funeral will be July 26, 2024 in Alabama.

The Context

Kenji is the 27th trans person to die from violence in 2024. They are the 18th BIPOC and 11th Black trans person on our list.

As of today, we’ve reported that a trans person has been killed in US every 6.7 days, that we know of. At age 23, Kenji is among the six youngest victims.

Kenji is tthe second victim of 2024 with ties to Washington Statee – Reyna Hernandez was kindapped by her ex and murdered in Mexico earlier this year. In 2021, Zoella “Zoey” Rose Martinez was killed in Washington State as was Rikkey Outumuro.

Kenji was originally from Alabama, a state that also witnessed the shooting death of 17 year old Taye Dior this spring. In 2020, Bella Pugh was murdered in Alabama.

For more information on the tracking and memorializing of missing, murdered, unidentified, and unclaimed trans and queer folx, please follow our new blog series #TheResearchers.

Rest in power, Kenji. It is clear you brought joy and warmth to your friends. You deserved so many more years to grow into adulthood. We will forever mourn you. We will seek answers for you. Thank you for all of the gifts you brought to this world.

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.

Things have grown so complicated that I have separated out the deaths dated to 2024 from those reported this year, but took place in another year.

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. Lagend Billions aka Tee Arnold – April 7, 2024, Miami, Ohio. Age 36.
10. África Parrilla García – February 2, 2024, San Juan, Puerto Rico. Age 25.
11. Nevaeh ‘River’ Goddard – April 5, 2024,. Stow, Massachusetts. Age 17,
12. Andrea Doria Dos Passos – April 22, 2024, Miami, Florida. Age 37.
13. Sasha Williams – January 26, 2024, Las Vegas, Nevada. Age 36.
14. Kita Bee – May 3, 2024, Kansas City, Missouri. Age 46.
15. Starr Brown – April 19, Memphis, Tennessee. Age 28.
16. Jazlynn Johnson – May 6, 2024, Carson City, Nevada. Age 18.
17. Michelle Henry – May 15, 2024, San Francisco, California. Age 25.
18. Tayy Dior Thomas – May 7, 2024, Mobile, Alabama. Age 17
19. Pauly Likens – June 23, 2024, Sharon, Pennsylvania. Age 14
20. Shannon Boswell – July 2, 2024, Atlanta, Georgia. Age 30.
21. Liara Kaylee Tsai – June 22, 2024, Minneapolis, Minnesota. Age 35.
22. Kenji Spurgeon – July 1, 2024, Seattle, Washington. Age: 23

Deaths reported in 2024 but took place in other years or need to be monitored for more information.

• Ryan Zimmerman – Sept 2015, Columbus OH Age 21 Murdered 2016, Identified 2020, reported 2024.
• Unknown Name – June 17, Denver, Colorado. Age unknown.
• Paris Rich Jessup – 13 June 2022, San Diego, California. Age 25.
• Kit Nelson-Mora, – 2021/2022 Washington State, 2022. Age 18.
• Niomi Jenkins – May 2024 San Francisco
• Morgan Moore – May 2022, Maryland. Age 17.