Two more trans women in the US were reportedly killed at the end of 2021.
On 27 January, the Human Rights Campaign reported that Za’niyah Williams and Nikki Turietta died last month due to anti-trans hate.
Williams, a 21-year-old Black trans woman, was fatally struck in a hit-and-run incident in Houston, Texas, on 20 December.
According to a report from TransGriot, authorities and media outlets initially misgendered her – which made it difficult for Williams’ mother to identify her.
Friends and family of the young woman took to social media to mourn their loss. One of her cousins wrote: “You were loved and will always be a part of me! Fly high you beautiful butterfly.”
A friend of Williams also uploaded a tribute post and described her as a “very sweet and smart young lady”.
Tori Cooper, HRC Director of Community Engagement for the Transgender Justice Initiative, said in a statement: “Za’niyah Williams was a bright soul who at 21 years old had the world in front of her.
“It is horrific that her life was taken from her by an unknown assailant who drove off without a care.
“She was also misgendered in initial reports until she was identified by her mother. We must create a society that respects Black trans women and all transgender, nonbinary, and gender-nonconforming people.
“Although we honour them in death, they deserve to live, and they deserve justice for the crimes that too often end their lives.”
31-year-old Turietta, a white trans woman, was shot in her home in Albuquerque, New Mexico, on 31 December. Like Williams, initial media reports misgendered her.
Jen Struck, the aunt of Truietta, described the young woman as “a character” and “free spirit” who travelled all over the world.
“We’re just all in shock. I don’t think it’s really set in for some of us yet,” she said. “You see the numbers rise and you don’t think it’s ever going to be someone you love.”
In 2021, Albuquerque reported that there had been a record number of 114 homicides.
“It is horrific that on the last day of 2021, yet another transgender person was killed in what has been a record year for fatal violence against transgender and gender non-conforming people,” Cooper said.
“This violence has been unceasing, but so too must our efforts to combat it never stop. We must commit to creating a safe and affirming culture for transgender and gender non-conforming people.”
Williams and Turietta are the 52nd and 53rd known trans casualties in the United States in 2021. HRC, who have been tracking murders within the trans community since 2013, said it was the “largest number of fatal trans violence incidents in a year.”
Latest
