Black Trans Women Lost to Violence in Mississippi and Illinois
2022 total of violent deaths among trans, gender-nonconforming, and nonbinary people in the U.S. to 20.Shawmaynè Giselle Marie McClam, a Black trans woman, was shot to death at her apartment in Gulfport, Miss., June 21, reports the Sun Herald, a local newspaper.
Initial media coverage misgendered and deadnamed her. Her sister, whose name was not released, was shot several times but survived.Makhari Seven Gasaway, 20, has been arrested and charged with first-degree murder and aggravated assault, according to TV station WLOX.
He had been in a fight with McClam, which escalated, police told the station.McClam had recently completed training to become a certified nursing assistant, driving to Alabama for classes, and was scheduled to start work as a traveling CNA on June 27, an online obituary notes.“Everything she did was to better herself and her family,” the obit states. “She always wanted more out of life and was determined to get it. … She loved her family, especially her nieces and nephews, and they loved her just as much if not more.” She was a fan of Nicki Minaj’s music and loved to dance.“Shawmaynè was a kind, beautiful young person who, like any person, deserved to live a full life,” Tori Cooper, the Human Rights Campaign’s director of community engagement for its Transgender Justice Initiative, said in a press release. “Her life was cut short by gun violence.
These tragedies happen all too often to Black and brown transgender women in communities across the country. The violence we face is one of the devastating results of ongoing stigma and discrimination.
