It’s now a felony in Oklahoma to provide gender-affirming health care to minors. North Dakota banned schools and state government from requiring its employees to use a trans person’s preferred pronouns and also barred trans students from using bathrooms that match their gender identity without parental permission. Indiana teachers must notify parents if a student asks to be called by a different name or pronoun.
These are just three of the 75 anti-LGBTQ laws that passed in 23 state legislatures this year. According to the American Civil Liberties Union, more than 500 such bills were introduced this year, most of them targeting the trans community.
Such attacks aren’t limited to Republican-led state houses. They also manifest in the violence that trans and gender-nonconforming people routinely encounter on the streets. And in the harm they suffer at home from people they know. According to the Human Rights Campaign, of at least 30 trans or gender-nonconforming people killed this year in the United States and Puerto Rico, about 43 percent died at the hands of an intimate partner, family member, or friend.
As in years past, a majority of victims, 87 percent, were people of color — and half of them were Black trans women.
I’ve devoted several columns this month to those whose lives were taken in 2023. Here is my final column of the year memorializing those lost to violence in the trans and gender-nonconforming communities.
Sherlyn Marjorie, 35, on Sept. 26 in Albuquerque, N.M.: Marjorie was remembered by friends and fans for popular shows as a drag performer. On social media, an admirer wrote, “I will miss your shows on stages, but . . . I am sure you will shine up there forever and ever.”
Chyna Long, 31, on Oct. 8 in Milwaukee, Wis.: “Her biggest fear,” Jonathan Long said in an interview about his daughter, “was not being accepted by her family.” So when Long came out to her father first as gay and then as a trans woman, Jonathan wanted her to feel loved and supported. He told her, “I don’t care what other people think. You’re my child. You are important to me and I need you around me as much as possible.”
Dominic Dupree, 25, on Oct. 13 in Chicago: Like the grandfather they considered a hero, Dupree, who identified as gender non-conforming, wanted a career in law enforcement. Dupree worked as a security manager for a private security company in Merrillville, Ind., and in their off hours, Dupree loved watching Chicago sports teams and Tyler Perry movies.
A’nee Roberson, 30, on Oct. 14 in Washington, D.C.: On Facebook, Oluwaferanni Olarinde called her friend “a given light into so many people’s lives.” In a television interview, she said, “I want them to remember [Roberson] for her zeal, her passion, and her consistency — how consistent she was with showing her face and making sure her energy was pure and lively.”
Lisa Love Turman, 35, on Oct. 17 in Chicago: “A loving, caring, free-spirited person,” is how Donna Frazier remembered her cousin. “Always smiling and laughing.” Anqunettia Turman said of her daughter, “Lisa’s smile was infectious, and she was loved and accepted for who she was, no matter how she dressed.”
London Price, 26, on Oct. 23 in Miami: A police report misgendered Price. But Nedra Allen wanted it known that Price, her niece, was a trans woman. “Always beautiful and pretty. She’ll give you the shirt off her back, and I think that’s kind of what put her in this situation to get her hurt.”
Amiri Jean Reid, 21, on Nov. 14 in Toledo, Ohio: Whether she was dazzling friends with her clever wordplay or giddy sense of humor, Reid loved to make people laugh. She could often be found with her best friend, Kejuan Richardson, who was shot and killed along with Reid.
Kejuan Richardson, 21, on Nov. 14 in Toledo, Ohio: Richardson, who identified as a gender non-conforming gay man, loved singing and listening to music, the “Avengers” movies, and basketball. In his obituary, he was remembered as “an amazing son” who “love[d] to take care of his brothers, sisters, nephews, nieces, and godkids.”
Savannah Ryan Williams, 38, on Nov. 29 in Minneapolis: “Savannah was fierce, full of life. She had a big personality and an even bigger heart. She’s going to be dearly, dearly missed,” Amber Muhm said about Williams, who belonged to Tea Time, a support network for trans women that Muhm co-leads. Courtuni Mason, Williams’ husband, called her “a very loving, caring person.”
Renée Graham is a Globe columnist. She can be reached at [email protected]. Follow her @reneeygraham.
