Felycya Harris. Photo from the Human Rights Campaign.
The murder of Felycya Harris last week officially made 2020 the deadliest year on record for transgender and gender-nonconforming people in the United States, with 31 recorded murders.
Harris, a 33-year old Augusta, Georgia resident and interior designer, was found shot dead near a park. The police are still investigating the motives and lead-up to the killing. The news about Harris’ death came shortly after the murder of Michelle (Michellyn) Ramos Vargas, a nurse from Puerto Rico.
In less than 7 days 3 Black trans women found dead… #SayHerName #SayTheirNames
• Felycya Harris
• Mia Green
• Goddess Aerrion Burnett— BraveSpaceAlliance (@BSAllianceChi) October 5, 2020
The Human Rights Campaign has been tracking the murders of transgender people since 2013 and while the circumstances and details of all cases differ, we cannot ignore the fact that the list is primarily populated by Black and/or Latinx people who are caught in the axis of racism, sexism, and transphobia. Transgender and gender non-conforming people also face disproportionately higher rates of unemployment, homelessness, and abuse in intimate relationships.