Day Rodas, a transgender woman who worked for the Los Angeles LGBT Center, was found dead Thursday morning on a roadside in Malibu, Calif., and police are investigating her death as a homicide.Police have not stated exactly what caused her death, Los Angeles TV station KTLA reports.
Her family had reported her missing after she stopped responding to calls and messages, and she didn’t report to her job.“She recently started living her life authentically as she came out to friends and family about being a trans woman,” her sister, Susie Rodas, wrote on a GoFundMe page where she and her father are raising money for funeral expenses.
Day Rodas, who was 27, was a deeply forgiving person and a staunch advocate for LGBTQ+ rights, her sister noted. “After being afraid for 27 years, she only got to live freely without fear for only six months which breaks our hearts,” Susie Rodas continued.Day Rodas worked in the Community Health Center program at the LGBT Center. “We are so proud of the work that Day did for the Center and our community,” said a statement from LGBT Center CEO Joe Hollendoner. “Shortly after joining our team, Day announced that she identified as a transgender woman.
Her colleagues and family alike have expressed that Day seemed like she was beginning a new chapter — one where she could finally be her authentic self.