Vontashia Bell, 18, is the 18th Trans Neighbor Reported Murdered in the US in 2018

Vontasia Bell

Of course it is just 24 hours after I wrote about the murder of De’Janay Stanton that I am back at the keyboard blogging about another murder of a Black trans woman, this time an 18-year-old Vontashia Bell in Shreveport, Louisiana.  And my heart is broken for a second time in two days. She was […]

Diamond Stephens, 39, is the 16th Trans Person Reported Murdered in 2018

Diamond Stephens Transgender

Diamond Stephens was 39 years old when she was shot in the back of the head while driving in Meridian, Mississippi. That was on June 18, 2018. Misgendering and deadnaming kept the community unaware of her death until friends and family set the record straight, a month later. Monica Roberts at TransGriot corrected the original […]

Sasha Garden, 27, is the 15th Trans Person Murdered in the US During 2018

Horrifying news out of Orange County, Florida where 27-year-old Sasha Garden is the 4th trans woman of color to be violently murdered in Florida this year. Sasha is also the 15th trans person in the United States known to die a violent death in 2018. Sasha was originally from Milwaukee, Wisconsin. She had relocated to […]

Update in the Murder Investigations for the 14 Trans Neighbors Lost in 2018

Today, I learned that there’s an update in the investigation of the murder of Pittsburgh native, Phylicia Mitchell. On February 24, she was shot to death in broad daylight outside her Cleveland residence. Phylicia was a Black trans woman who had relocated to Cleveland after growing up on Pittsburgh’s Northside. She was 46 years old. The […]

Keisha Wells of Cleveland is 14th Trans Person Killed in 2018

Just hours after writing about Cathalina Christina James’ homicide in Jacksonville, FL comes word of another sister whose life was taken. 58 year old Keisha Wells of Cleveland was found dead on Detroit Avenue in Cleveland early in the morning of Sunday, June 24. Please note that the primary source uses Keisha’s deadname as does […]

Cathalina Christina James is 13th Trans Person Murdered in 2018

Cathalina Christina James

24-year-old Cathalina Christina James was a Black trans woman from Sumter, South Carolina. On Sunday, June 24, she became the 13th trans person murdered this year in the United States.  More at Transgriot.  Cathalina was found shot dead at the Quality Inn and Suites located in the 8300 block of Dix Ellis Trail on Sunday […]

Three LGBTQ Black Voices Speak Out About the Shooting of Antwon Rose in Pittsburgh

Before our local Pride events, a friend contacted me – she’s a journalist and was working on a piece about the intersection of queer and Black identities. She wanted to know if any of our AMPLIFY contributors might be interested in talking with her (because she gets the point of AMPLIFY – to signal boost […]

Antash’a English, 38, is the 12th Trans Person Killed in 2018

A 38 year-old Black trans woman, Antonia English, died from a gunshot wound Friday, June 1 in Jacksonville, Florida. Known to her friends and family as Antash’a (Antash’a Devine Sherrington English), she was found between two abandoned houses and later died from her injuries at the hospital. The Jacksonville Sheriff’s office initially misgendered and deadnamed […]

Gigi Pierce, 28, is the 11th Trans Person Murdered in the US in 2018

transgender women

  A trans woman, 28-year-old Gigi Pierce of Boise, Idaho, was shot and killed in downtown Portland, OR. late Monday evening, May 21, 2018. The suspect is in custody. Gigi died on the scene after what’s been reported as a ‘disturbance’ between the two women. According to The Advocate, Gigi was found alive by first […]

Nino Fortson, 36, is 10th Trans Person Murdered in 2018 #RIP

Nino Fortson was a 36-year-old Black trans man living in Atlanta. Today, we learn he is the 10th transgender neighbor lost to a violent death in 2018. From Monica Roberts at Transgriot: [He] was shot multiple times during an argument early in the morning of May 13 at the corner of Donald Lee Hollowell Parkway and […]