Pgh Lesbian Correspondents

It was Tuesday, July 24, 2024 when yet another young trans woman was murdered in a brutal way. Her name was Dylan Gurley. She was 20 years old when she died in Denton, Texas.

Dylan was killed inside a home, but it is unclear whose home it was or why she was there. The Tarrant County Medical Examiner’s Office ruled Gurley died from blunt and sharp force injuries with strangulation. The cause of death suggests she may have been beaten and cut or stabbed as well as strangled.

At 11:10 p.m. Tuesday, officers were dispatched to an unconscious person call at a house in the 3700 block of Holland Lane. Responding officers located an adult victim with traumatic injuries, who was transported to a hospital for treatment.

Denton Police blotter

As of this report, there has been no arrest. That’s suprising.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Detective Jasmine Badiru at 940-349-7977. To anonymously report a tip, please call Denton County Crime Stoppers at 1-800-388-TIPS (8477) or visit www.dentoncountycrimestoppers.com.

Honoring Dylan

Dylan was born in Arlington, Texas. She attended Denton High School. Dylan’s extended family have poured out tributes and grief on social media. Her own socials show that she valued her family ties, especially her sibling and cousins. In 2020, her 16 year old brother Danny died suddenly. Dylan frequently shared messages to him on her social media accounts.

She posted quite a bit about social justice issues, declaring herself firmly pro-choice and lifting up LGBTQ Pride issues. Dylan also expressed her frustration with ‘active shooter drills’ as part of daily life for her generation in school.

Dylan was in recovery in 2022. She shared some thoughts about addiction and recovery.

its hard and it suck to be dealt this card but what you cant do is cry about it you make the best of it but anyway i lookin these i think

Friends have established a crowdfund to help with final expenses. Dylan’s Celebration of Life will be Saturday August 17, 2024 from 1-3 at the Little Elm Community Center.

Dylan’s obituary is online. It does use her deadname.

The Context

That we know of, Dylan is the 29th trans person whose death has been reported in 2024. Reported means the death may have been earlier or that we do not have all of the details. You may notice in my list later in this post that I try to make some distinctions.

She is the 20th trans woman. Dylan is the 6th white trans or nonbinary person on our current list. As of today, we have reported on the deaths of 8 folx 21 and under. Since 2020, we have tracked the violent deaths of 37+ trans youth, 21 and under.

Texas is home to a significant number of deaths. From 2023: Maria Jose Rivera Rivera (22) LaKendra Andrews (25) From 2022: Cypress Ramos  (21) Paloma Velasquez  (29) Marisela Castro  (39) From 2021: Aidelen Evans (24) Tiffany Thomas  (38) Iris Santos  (22) Miss CoCo (44) Za’Niyah Williams (21) Rubi Dominguez (29) Martina Caldera (38) Kier Laprice (Kartier) Solomon (21) From 2020: Helle Jae O’Regan  (20) Asia Jynaé Foster (22) Chae’Meshia Simms (39) and earlier in 2024 Diamond Cherish Brigman (38) was also killed in Texas. In 2022, a 62 year old trans woman died in her apartment in Carrollton, Texas but had no living family to claim her. We don’t know what became of her remains. Her name was Deirdre Sterling.

19 violent deaths from Texas alone since 2020. As of this report, a trans person has been violently murdered in the US every 7 days this year. 

Another contextual element is the lack of information from the police. Dylan died a horrific violent death, something that often occurs when it is personal (but not always.) Police have issued a statement saying there is no risk to the public. Yet, no arrest or detention of a suspect. No indication the other party died that night. No ‘Wanted’ information with any details.

This happened in someone’s home. Surely some home in that neighborhood had surveillance cameras. There must be forensic evidence from the scene. So why the radio silence? I’m not going to speculate, but I will point out this odd sequence of events in hopes that the Denton Police set things straight soon.

Rest in power, Dylan. For too short a span of time, you brought love and defiance into a world that needs both. Your absence is keenly felt and while you may be reunited with your beloved brother, that is not enough to ease the pain of your death. We should have done better by you than endless drills without addressing the heart of the problems that threatened your life.

I feel a special tie to your story, Dylan, as I learn that your family has Pittsburgh roots. I don’t know if you ever traveled here or were close to your local family, but your life and death will be part of our record. And given the nature of your death coming on the heels of the brutal death of Pauly Likens, the unsolved 2022 murder of Amäriey Lèį (Myara), and the 2022 harassment of a Black teen trans girl in her own bedroom by a neighbor, we cannot afford to overlook this connection.

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 ye

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
23. Monique Brooks – July 19, 2024. Orlando, Florida. Age 59.
24. Dylan Gurley – July 24, 2024. Denton, Texas. Age 20.

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.