remembering yet another victim of anti-trans violence: tee tee dangerfield

The killing of trans women must end. The killing of trans men must end. The killing of trans people of color must end. Say it again, and again, and again.

This must be the mantra of 2017, because for some reason, honoring the life another human being is too revolutionary for America to handle.

Today, we recognize the latest casualty in the war for free gender identity: Troy (Tee Tee) Dangerfield, who was found in her car with multiple gunshot wounds on July 31–at around 4:30 am–in College Park, GA. The 32 year Atlanta native is the 16th trans woman killed–on record–this year, and the 14th Black trans woman killed in 2017 alone. At the same time though, who knows the actual figure as countless trans injustices are left unreported or they are misgendered in death.

Police might as well record their reports and press replay: “At this time we don’t have anything that’s telling us that [the killing was related to her being transgender], but we’re not ruling out any possible motive.” Unbelievable.

There are few nations so systematically blind to patterns like U.S.–and while the media alternates from conscious support to ignorant misrepresentation, we’re met with mixed information and under-reported crimes–all while our bully of a president tries to keep the trans community from serving a country that hangs them out to dry.

From Donald Trump to the recent Breakfast Club controversy–where “comedian” Lil Duval noted he’d kill a trans woman if he found out her identity post-sex–the air is thick with racism, transphobia, and misogyny.

This is a tired, broken, and unsustainable cycle, and eventually it’s going to fail. But how many lives need to be lost until it does?

Until we reach justice we say their names. Rest in Peace to Tee Tee Dangerfield.

Say her name: Tee Tee Dangerfield.