Jaida Peterson, Black Trans Woman, 14th Trans Person Killed in 2021

Jaida Peterson, a 29-year-old, Black, trans woman, was killed April 4 in Charlotte, NC and is at least the 14th transgender or gender-nonconforming person to have been killed violently in 2021 so far, according to the Human Rights Campaign.

Peterson was found dead after officers responded to a call in a welfare check for a hotel room. She was pronounced dead at the scene after being found unresponsive. The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department classified her death as a homicide and are currently investigating her murder.

Local Black, trans advocates held a vigil in Peterson’s honor April 9. With the help of fundraising efforts from local police abolitionist organization Charlotte Uprising, Peterson’s family was able to move her body back to South Carolina, where she was buried on Tuesday.

“Jaida’s death, and the deaths of trans women every day, remind us that visibility is not enough,” Charlotte Uprising said in an Instagram post.

Peterson is the eighth Black, trans woman to be killed in the past four months, and she is one of two Black, trans women known to be killed in April so far, according to HRC. Four days before Peterson’s death, 26-year-old Dominique Luscious was killed in Springfield, MO.

“In the last week, we’ve learned of the deaths of two Black, transgender women, including Jaida,” said Tori Cooper, HRC director of community engagement for the Transgender Justice Initiative. “This violence is alarming and unacceptable. Her life should never have been cut short.”

Transgender and gender-nonconforming people are not guaranteed protection from discrimination in employment, housing, education, and public spaces at the state level in North Carolina. The state also does not have a law to expressly address hate or bias crimes based on sexual orientation or gender identity. These deaths also come in the wake of anti-trans attacks at many levels of government.

HRC reported 44-known killings in 2020, and so far this year, twice as many trans people have lost their lives to violence than at this same point last year. Black and Latina, trans women account for the majority of these deaths.

“We need everyone to speak up, affirm that Black Trans Lives Matter and take action now in order to end this violence,” Cooper added. “Jaida had family, friends and a community who cared about her and loved her, and our hearts go out to them.”

Photo courtesy of HRC.