Read #TheResearchers Q&A With Noah ‘The Stigma Fighter’

The Researchers Investigating Missing, Murdered, Unclaimed, and Unidentified Trans and Queer Neighbors Around the World Recently, we launched a mini-series exploring the work of tracking and reporting anti-trans violence. You can read the initial post The Researchers: A Closer Look at the Search for Missing and Murdered Trans and Queer People I created a Q&A […]

The Researchers: A Closer Look at the Search for Missing and Murdered Trans and Queer People

Since spring 2013, I have been writing memorials for trans, nonbinary, and gender nonconforming (TGNC) neighbors whose lives have been lost to violence. The relentless persistence of this violence is akin to a terror campaign. While I’ve frequently shared the story of how I started doing this work, I’ve less often talked about “the work” […]

Here are 15 Nonbinary Stories From Western Pennsylvania

Today is International Nonbinary People’s Day. The date, celebrated since 2012, was chosen as it falls between International Women’s Day on 8 March and International Men’s Day on 19 November. The AMPLIFY project is an archive of Q&A’s with LGBTQ+ folks who have ties to Western Pennsylvania. Here are 15 contributors who identify as non-binary (or some variant of […]

Remembering the 2022 Murder of 17 year old Black Trans Teen Morgan Moore By His Parents

Morgan Moore

The Crime My recent post about the violent deaths of 14 trans youth brought to my attention a young Black trans man, Morgan Moore. At 17 years of age, Morgan was killed by his parents through neglect, including hunger, horrific living conditions, and a lack of medical care. That’s filicide. A parent, or parents, killing […]

More Information and Questions on the Murder of Pauly Likens

According to documents obtained by media outlets, the man who chose to murder Pauly claimed he had met someone on Grindr, using the app to meet up with an individual described to match the girl per KDKA – TV and they had ‘sexual contact.’   ‘Sexual contact’ between a 29 year old man and a 14 year […]

Six Weeks After Moving to Minneapolis, Trans Woman Liara Kaylee Tsai Was Killed by Former Partner

The Crime A beloved was recently murdered on June 22 by a former romantic partner in Minnesota. Liara Kaylee Tsai, 35, was killed in her home, bundled into a mattress and bedding, then placed in her vehicle. From The Advocate. Olmsted County sheriff’s deputies arrived at the scene of the single-vehicle accident and found [Margot] […]

Last Night, I Dreamed About My Mother’s New Memories

Kerry and Susan Pryor circa 1945 in Munhall, Pennsylvania

Last night, I met my mother in my dreams. She was living in a shabby chic bungalow with bright decorations and her beloved drapes gracing every window. Just as I arrived I saw her mother – my grandmother – pull out of the driveway in a practical blue sedan. I waved, but unsure if she […]

Black Trans Woman Shannon Boswell Mortally Shot, Run Over in Atlanta. She was 30.

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 […]

This Pittsburgh Group Distributed 2000 ‘Protect Trans Kids’ Yard Signs, Needs Donations to Continue

Protect Trans Kids

A local effort to distribute ‘Protect Trans Kids’ signs and stickers has reached a milestone, but needs community help to continue their work. The project has produced and distributed 2000 yard signs, most in the Pittsburgh region, since June 2022. Pittsburgh LGBTQ Charities (PLC) has spearheaded this project.  They recently decided to send the remaining […]

14 trans youth have died violently since 2022 in the US

The brutal murder of 14 year old Pauly Likens in Western Pennsylvania is far from an isolated incident.. Looking through my archive of memorial posts, I found 14 listings of youth and young adults 21 and under. That’s a span of 18 months, averaging nearly one trans youth brutally murdered each month. They represent more […]