Trans Woman is First Trans American Murdered this Year
Dana Martin, a trans woman, was murdered on January 6, making her the first trans person to be murdered in 2019.
Martin, a black, transgender woman, was shot and killed in Montgomery, Alabama, according to HRC. She was 31 and was found dead in her vehicle. So far, there are no suspects in the murder.
Dana Martin’s death is the first known case of deadly violence in the U.S. against the trans community in 2019.
As we honor her life, we must address factors that foster violence targeting trans people, particularly transgender women of color. https://t.co/H2RUXawNOY
— Human Rights Campaign (@HRC) January 11, 2019
As often happens, law enforcement initially misgendered Martin when she was found dead.
“That’s a sister, even though she’s not here to defend herself,” Daroneshia Duncan-Boyd, founder of Transgender Advocates Knowledgeable Empowering, said, according to Into. “We still have a community in loss that is willing to defend her.”
Being advised by Daroneshia Duncan of Birmingham that we may have our first trans murder of 2019. 31 year old Dana Martin was found shot to death in her car.
And yep, Martin was misgendered by WFSA-TV in Montgomery, AL#TransLivesMatter
— Monica Roberts (@TransGriot) January 8, 2019
Luckily, information on the late Martin’s Facebook page, as well as testimonial from friends and family, was able to confirm that Martin did in fact identify as a trans woman. However, official records still identify Martin as a man.
Trans murders are unfortunately very common in the U.S., and disproportionately affect women of color.
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