Ms. Lindsey’s Murder is the Fourth Unsolved Homicide of African-American Transgender Women in Dallas Since 2015, Including Two This Year

Media Contact: Susan Risdon, cell-214-226-6741, susan@redmediagroup.com

The transgender community and allies across Texas are reeling with the discovery of the body today in Dallas of Chynal Lindsey, a Black transgender woman. Ms. Lindsey has become the sixth transgender woman of color to be killed in the U.S. this year. Her death comes only two weeks after the murder of Muhlaysia Booker, and brings to four the number of open, recent homicide cases against an African-American transgender woman in Dallas.

Equality Texas stands in solidarity with our transgender siblings to decry this epidemic of violence targeting transgender women of color and all violence against members of the LGBTQ community.

The news is especially tragic coming at the beginning of Pride Month, a time when we remember the brave actions of transgender women of color who fought back against harassment by police to proclaim their identities, their worth, and their power in the Stonewall riots fifty years ago.

The dehumanization, discrimination, and violence against LGBTQ people, especially transgender women of color, can no longer be ignored by our political leaders. We call on the Dallas Police Department to work with the FBI and other law enforcement agencies to focus more resources on solving this wave of violence against transgender women in Dallas. We further demand our state’s political leaders add gender identity and expression to the James Byrd Hate Crimes Law.

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Equality Texas is the largest statewide organization working to secure full equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer Texans through political action, education, community organizing, and collaboration. The Equality Texas Foundation works to secure full equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer Texans through education, community organizing, and collaboration.