Pgh Lesbian Correspondents

KC Johnson, 27, was a native of Wilmington, North Carolina. She attended Abide University and was recently a manager at Domino’s Pizza in Wilmington.

She’s 5′10″ and weighs about 230 pounds. Johnson has hazel eyes and dark brown, shoulder-length hair and was last seen wearing a grey shirt with gold writing, black leggings and blue slides. Somehow it feels important to describe how she chose to dress, perhaps because she is being misgendered and deadnamed both in the search when she was missing and in her death by family and friends. One positive note is that media is respecting her identity as a woman.

“It takes courage to grow up and become who you really are.” e. e. cummings

A quote KC shared on her Facebook page

Her partner, Bulla Brodzinski last saw Johnson on Friday, Jan. 13 when Johnson left their home and said she would be back in an hour.

Bulla and KC met in August and have lived together for several months. They found solace and love together as trans woman. Bulla says KC was the love of her life.

“It is not fair that was taken away from me,” said Brodzinski. “It’s not fair that she was taken away from all her friends and family either.”

KC loved playing video games , vibing and relaxing to music ,she loved playing magic the gathering (trading card game.) Her social media is filled with mange and anime images.

KC Johnson was killed in the 1300 block of King St, Wilmington, NC on Friday, January 13, 2023. 26-year-old William Haven Hicks of South Carolina is in custody and is charged with First Degree Murder, Robbery with a Dangerous Weapon, and Kidnapping. Hicks is currently being held at the Myrtle Beach Police Department under no bond, according to WECT

On Wednesday, police in Chatham County, Georgia responded to a call about human remains washing up along the Savannah River. Those investigators are working with WPD to determine if the remains belong to Johnson.

The agony of not knowing for nearly five days, then discovering she was killed – worst fears realized, but to have the additional horror of police trying to determine if her body was discarded in a river is just unimaginable. My heart breaks for her family and friends. What on earth happened when she met with Hicks? Will finding out give anyone peace? Typically, first degree murder involves a calculated, planned attempt to kill someone, not a crime of passion or impulse. It is very possible he lured her there with the intention of killing her. Now that’s just my layperson understanding of legal charges.

KC’s family has organized a GoFundMe to help with her final arrangements – the crowdfund misgenders her. There are no specific details on vigils or her funeral as of yet.

Friends say her family loved her and she loved them, but they did not embrace her identity. That’s also very sad because they missed the opportunity to know her live her own truth. It is not atypical, but heartwrenching when it is too late to undo that harm.

KC’s sister Amber shared

I can’t sleep.. this wasn’t supposed to happen, you didn’t deserve this. You ARE and always will be a beautiful person, inside and out. You deserved nothing but good things.. you will be missed greatly by so many. I love you. Rest in paradise, KC Lee Johnson.

KC is the second transgender person known to be murdered in the United States in 2023. She is the second trans woman. She is the first white trans person. Her death means a trans person has reportedly died a violent death every 6,5 days in 2023. Before we went from New Years Day to MLK Day, two trans neighbors lives ended in violence. That we know of.

So what will you do now that you’ve read this post and wept, perhaps quietly, for our neighbor? Will you volunteer with a local trans led program? Will you invest with a donation? Will you send trans folx a sign that you are standing with them? Share this post? Will you look for the helpers in the trans community and follow their lead? Or will you keep scrolling? The world has taken a violent and vicious turn against the trans community in recent years and it is not enough to grieve the dead, we must protect the living.

Rest in power, KC. You brought joy and light to this world, to your friends and family and your partner. You deserved a life filled with good memories and experiences. I am so sorry we did not create that for you. Thank you for everything you contributed to our lives.

May your memory be a revolution.

In 2022, we reported on the violent deaths of 40 trans and nonbinary neighbors in the United States. There were more, I know because I am still pursuing some of those cases.

This is our list of transgender, nonbinary, and gender nonconforming neighbors who have been victims of the campaign of terror in 2023. Please do not copy, modify, or share this list without attribution.  

1. Jasmine ‘Star’ Mack – District of Columbia, January 7, 2023. Age 36.
2. KC Johnson – Wilmington, North Carolina, January 13, 203. Age 27.