Justice for Brittany Kidd-Stergis

Some news from Cleveland regarding the December 2013 murder of 22 year old Brittany Kidd-Stergis.  The man responsible for her death pled guilty on Friday and faces a life sentence. From Cleveland.com A 20-year-old man could spend life in prison after he pleaded guilty Friday to the December slaying of a transgender woman outside a […]

Suspect in Murder of Tiffany Edwards Turns Himself In

Tiffany Edwards

The “good news” is that Quamar Edwards who has had a warrant for his arrest for the murder of Tiffany Edwards has turned himself in. He’s off the streets for now.  Even though they share a common surname, there is no connection between the two. The bad news is that it appears Quamar Edwards is […]

UPDATED: The Loss of Another Trans Sister of Color – Tiff Edwards of Ohio

Tiffany Edwards

This has been a tough month, no doubt about it. From Repent Amarillo targeting teenaged girls to the Pittsburgh Dyke Trans March being TERFd (and possibly secretly recorded), it has been an exhausting month. But the worst has happened – a fourth trans woman of color has been found murdered, this time in Walnut Hills, […]

Arrest in the 2012 Shooting, Assault of Texas Lesbian Couple

Kristene Chapa Mollie Olgin

    In 2012, two teenaged lesbians were brutally attacked and left for dead in a Texas park. 19 year old Mollie Olgin died and her girlfriend Mary Kristene Chapa, then 18, survived with serious debilitating injuries. News of the arrest of the 27-year-old suspect brought to light the fact that one or both women […]

Arrest in Murder of Brittany Kidd-Stergis, Another Trans Woman Murdered in Baltimore

There is “mixed” news to share this morning with regard to violence against the trans community. In Baltimore, a 40-year-old trans woman named Kandy Hall was found murdered in a field on June 5, 2014. Not only are there no leads in the case, but Kandy is almost a mystery. Her friends quotes in this […]

Mocking Violence Against Trans Women Is Not Acceptable

Trans

“First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win.” – Mahatma Ghandi It is my opinion that being an ally to the trans community requires me to believe the people in that community. I believe when they tell me that words like “tranny” and “shemale” and “shemail” are […]

Why Use The Term “Alleged” When Reporting on Crimes Against LGBTQ People

I’ve had a few questions about the use of the term “alleged murder” to refer to the deaths of Betty Janet Skinner and Brittany-Nicole Kidd-Stergis in Cleveland last week. I can only imagine the degree of hurt, anger and outrage – perhaps fear? – in the community and it is fair to say that the […]

Upated: Two Transwomen Murdered in Cleveland

Cleveland, Transgender, Brittany-Nicole, Kidd-Stergis, Betty Skinner, Hate Crime

Sad news from Cleveland. 52 year old Betty Janet Skinner was found murdered in her apartment Thursday morning. Cleveland Police say Skinner was physically disabled, required assisted living and received regular home health care.   She was last seen alive by her home health care worker when she left the Devonshire Road apartment of our fallen […]