Witnesses Sought in Trans Murder

It always saddens me to write about another trans person being killed because it seems like I have to write about something like this atleast once a month. The latest happened in Washington D.C. Joshua Mack (aka Tyli'a "NaNa Boo" Mack) and a second transgender woman were found suffering from stab wounds at about 2:30 PM on Wednesday. Mack was pronounced dead approximately 30 minutes later at Howard University Hospital. The second unidentified victim is expected to survive her injuries.

Friends and family members of Mack are asking for anyone with info that may help catch the killer(s) to come forward because as of this moment there are no suspects. Acting Lt. Brett Parson, who oversees the D.C. police's Gay & Lesbian Liaison Unit, said homicide investigators working on the case listed the incident as a "possible" hate crime. Police on Wednesday released a flyer displaying a photo of Mack and announcing they were offering a $25,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible for her death.

"All I want is the people to come forward and talk about it," said Beverlyn Mack, Tyli'a Mack's mother. "I don't like it because my child was born just like everyone else — through a mother's womb," she said. "And I don't think it's fair for other people to take other people's lives."

I've attended the Transgender Day of Remembrance several years in a row. At this remembrance, the trans community acknowledges the trans people that were killed over the course of the year. It seems that each year the list gets longer. So I'm left to wonder if we'll ever see the day when this madness will stop.