Black Trans Woman Lisa Love Murdered

Lisa Love was leaving a friend’s home in the early hours of October 17 when she was fatally shot in the chest and back. The perpetrator of this crime was likely someone local, as people within her community knew that she was trans. Love was only 32 years old at the time of her death; she was a kind, caring woman, a graduate of Kenwood High, and a fan of Amiyah Scott and Contradiction Tha Kid. Lisa Love was a person full of passions, ideas, thoughts, and ambitions. She was a person who had her life ripped away from her, and she is not the only trans person to have been murdered this year.

Statistically this year alone, a trans person has been murdered every nine days, with at least 25 cases having been recorded. That means that we only know a certain percentage of fatal violence against trans people so far this year, due to reports not being made, misgendering by news sources, and other factors. With anti-trans bills and rhetoric being spread on the daily at this point, the day-to-day life of trans individuals is growing more and more dangerous in certain places. According to the analysis done by the Human Rights Campaign 88% percent of victims were people of color with 52% of victims of anti-trans violence are black trans women.

It is a well-known quote, but Malcom X said it best: “The most disrespected person in America is the Black woman. The most unprotected person in America is the Black woman. The most neglected person in America is the Black woman.” Black trans women have done so much for human rights as many of the rights that we have today are because Black trans women fought for them. The fact that Black women and Black fems in general are largely targeted and become victims of violence, murder, and sexual assault should be a major concern in the ongoing fight for human rights.

Photo courtesy of @HRC on X