TL;DR

• Girlalala, a beloved 21-year-old Black trans TikTok influencer, was shot and killed in Florida.
• Her boyfriend, Shanoyd Whyte Jr., has been arrested and charged with first-degree murder.
• Her death occurs during Trans Awareness Week, heightening the grief across LGBTQ communities.
• Black trans women remain disproportionately affected by violence, especially gun violence.
• Advocates are calling for urgent action, resources, and justice for trans survivors of intimate partner abuse.

A Bright Star Gone: Girlalala’s Killing Shakes the Internet and the Black Trans Community

The internet is in mourning after the shocking death of Girlalala — a 21-year-old Black transgender TikTok star whose charisma, humor, and beauty lit up millions of screens. The Florida influencer, hairstylist, and wig expert was killed Friday in Lauderdale Lakes, allegedly by her boyfriend during what police say was a violent argument in a car.

Girlalala, known for her bold looks, razor-sharp humor, and glamorous transformations, wasn’t just another influencer — she was a lifeline. To thousands of young queer people, especially Black trans girls navigating a world determined to misunderstand them, she was proof that joy, confidence, and self-definition were possible.

But now, her community is grieving a loss that feels both personal and painfully familiar.

The Arrest and the Horror

Police arrested her boyfriend, 25-year-old Shanoyd Whyte Jr., at the scene. According to reports, he and Girlalala had been together three years. Whyte allegedly told officers their argument “turned physical” before he shot her. She was rushed to a hospital but pronounced dead. He is being held without bond and now faces a first-degree murder charge.

Her killing is the 18th known violent death of a trans or gender-expansive person in the U.S. this year — and at least the 15th involving a gun. These aren’t numbers; they are lives stolen. Dreams canceled. Families shattered. Communities forced to bury their sisters again and again.

And most of those lives belong to Black trans women.

“She Saved Lives Just by Existing”

Advocates across the country reacted with heartbreak and fury. Victoria Kirby York of the National Black Justice Collective captured what so many felt: “She was the first transgender person many had the chance to meet… Her death takes place during a time of deep grief and mourning.”

This week is Transgender Awareness Week — leading into Transgender Day of Remembrance, when we honor the trans people murdered every year. Instead of simply remembering, the community must now add a new name. Again.

The grief is global — and so is the love.

Rapper JT of City Girls, whom Girlalala adored, donated thousands to her funeral fund and wrote a tribute that had fans in tears: “Heaven will never be boring now that you are there… I’m sorry this happened to you.”

A Crisis Hitting Black Trans Women Hardest

Everytown’s research paints a grim reality:

• Guns are used in 70%+ of murders of trans people.
• Intimate partners commit nearly 1 in 5 of these killings.
• Black trans women face the highest risk of all.

This is not random. It’s systemic. A perfect storm of misogynoir, transphobia, racism, and guns.

Domestic violence against trans people is still widely ignored, underreported, or dismissed. Many trans women don’t feel safe calling police, don’t trust services, or are turned away from shelters not equipped — or willing — to serve them.

As Angela Ferrell-Zabala of Moms Demand Action said, “Her death is a cruel reminder that trans and gender-expansive people, especially Black trans women, face a disproportionate impact of violence.”

Honoring Her Memory Means Fighting for the Living

Advocates are demanding more than condolences — they want action. Funding for shelters that accept trans women. Training for law enforcement. Real domestic violence protections for trans survivors. Expanded resources under the Violence Against Women Act. Public education. Housing support. Community safety networks.

Girlalala should still be here, creating, laughing, shading, inspiring.

Instead, her community is left to grieve in the very week meant to celebrate trans resilience.

Her light mattered. Her visibility mattered. And her death is a brutal reminder that trans women — especially Black trans women — remain targets in a nation that too often looks away.

But we won’t look away.
Not today. Not ever.

May her memory spark action, safety, and justice for every sister still fighting to live.