Pgh Lesbian Correspondents

Ra’Lasia Wright was 24 years old when her body was discovered in the years between two houses in a Minneapolis, Minnesota neighborhood on December 1, 2024. Ra’Lasia is sometimes styled Ralasia and sometimes Ralai. Ra’Lasia was a Black Latina trans woman of Puerto Rican descent.

The Crime

A ping from Ra’Llasia’s iPhone alerted friends and family that she was in an unfamiliar neighborhood. They contacted authorities who searched for her. Sadly, it was too late according to Police Chief Brian O’Hara. About 12:30 p.m. Sunday, December 1, 2024 officers found her unresponsive on the ground, according to the Star-Tribune.

She was shot in the chest, the Hennepin County Medical Examiner’s Office said.

Anyone with information about Wright’s death is urged to email policetips@minneapolismn.gov or leave a message at 612-673-5845. Tips can also be left anonymously with CrimeStoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477) or at CrimeStoppersMN.org. Tips to CrimeStoppers leading to an arrest and conviction may result in a reward.

Honoring Ra’Lasia

According to two different interviews she gave on YouTube shows, Ra’Lasia was born in Gary, Indiana. Her family moved to Minnesota before she turned 10 years old. She’s lived in Minneapolis ever since. She stated that she came out at age 11 and transitioned at age 20.

In the interviews, she discusses her transition in terms of social adjustments, gender identity, and managing the medical side effects. Ra’Lasia also discusses her plans to relocate to Atlanta or Miami after May 2025. Sadly, she did not live long enough to pursue that dream.

“Jump off the edge, be yourself. You’ll be 10x happier than forcing yourself to be who people accept.”

It is incredibly rare to have this sort of first person documentation of her life – she tell us where she’s from, choices she’s made, plans, hopes, regrets. Her joie de vivre bursts off the screen. She speaks frequently about her respect and appreciation for all women, her willingness to step forward to protect women. On several occasions, she discusses her interest in expanding her content creator status once she’s completed a few more steps in her personal transition journey.

She gives us a gift with this raw, unfiltered, no holds barred narrative, not evading difficult questions. She knows what everyone is going to ask, challenge her on, push back on and she still faces it all. She made choices some of us can’t understand. She is equally direct about the things she can’t understand or explain. Her unflinching realness is a potent reminder of what the terror campaign of anti-trans violence costs al of us.

Her death is a loss for all of us, in all of her complicated messy human life.

Ra’Lasia had four brothers and two sisters along with other surviving family members. Ra’Lasia’s mother is Black and her biological father is Puerto Rican, but he was not actively involved in her life.

These are the two videos, both about 30+ minutes. Very much worth your time.

Friends organized a candlelight vigil Sunday, December 22, 2024. The CTA reads

Sunday we come together in love, grief, and solidarity to honor the life of RaLasia Wright, a 25-year-old transgender woman who was tragically taken from us on December 1, 2024. It was only through her family and friends tracking her phone’s location that they were able to bring her home. RaLasia had no connection to the neighborhood where her life violently ended, and yet, her family and friends have been left searching for answers. The Minneapolis Police Department is investigating her murder, but RaLasia deserves more than just an investigation-she deserves justice.

We are gathering to demand justice for RaLasia and for every Trans woman whose life has been cut short by violence. We will not let her be forgotten. Her life mattered. Her story matters. We stand with her family, her friends, and her community, because RaLasia stood up for us, and now it’s our turn to stand up for her.

Please join us with candles, signs, and hearts full of compassion as we honor her life and rally for justice.

Scroll down for another tribute video created for Ralai.

Ra’Lasia did not deserve to be murdered.

Context

Ra’lasia is the 39th 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. As of this post, I have now identified 32 individuals who were killed this year and plus seven individuals whose deaths became known to us this year.

I know this is confusing. Death cannot be neatly contained in data and reporting, but it is essential that we try to describe this epidemic of violence with every possible tool.

Among the 39 deaths reported in 2024 to date, 31 have been BIPOC, six white, and two of unknown heritage or ethnicity. 27 of the individuals on our list were Black transgender folx. Ra’Lasia is the 27th trans woman, the 16th Black trans woman, and the 22nd trans woman of color on our list,

In June 2024, we reported the violent death of Liara Kaylee Tsai. In 2023, we covered the death of Savannah Williams both in Minnesota.

I have another memorial post to write tonight. I can’t see the end for 2024 just yet. But we’ll get there.

Nearly four weeks since her death, there has been no arrest or even an identification of a suspect. Ra’Lasia led a very big life with a lot of online transparency. It feels inconsistent that there are no leads in her death.

Rest in power, Ra’Lasia. You deserved so many years to live your life and find your way. You did not deserve to die a lonely violent death. I think of how many things you could have accomplishedwith the years ahead. I am glad you spoke your own truth, your own story with such conviction and vigor. You deserved the last word and so many more.

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 anti-trans 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, Las Vegas, 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.
25. Tai Lathan – August 4, 2024. Baltimore, Maryland. Age 24.
26. Vanity Williams – August 3, 2024. Houston, Texas. Age 34.
27. Redd ‘Barbie’ Joseph – September 8, 2024. Chicago, Illinois. Age 25.
28. Kassim Omar – September 6, 2024. Columbus, Ohio. Age 29.
29. Honee Daniels – October 3, 2024. Rochester, New York. Age 37
30. San Coleman – October 19, 2024. Athens, Georgia. Age 48.
31. Quanesha Shantel – November 11, 2024. Greensboro, North Carolina. Age 26.
32. Ra’Lasia Wright – December 1, 2024. Minneapolis, Minnesota. Age 24.

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

• Skyler Gilmore – June 2021, Stone Mountain, Georgia. Age 25. Murdered in 2021, reported in 2024.
• 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 15,

This is a tribute video posted on TikTok.

@blountt_customz Everytime I caught her lives she was so lit…so I couldn’t put a sad song on her design…I wanted to do something more fit for her. She was THAT GIRL…period! I didn’t know Ralasia personally but she was for sure one of my FB fam and my heart hurts to know that she’s gone. Rest in Heaven Babe…I hate this happened to you.💔 #fyp #restinpeace #custom ♬ STOP PLAYING – GloRilla