In a heartbreaking incident that has sent shockwaves through the LGBTQ community, London Price, a 26-year-old Black transgender woman, lost her life on Monday in northwest Miami-Dade County. Price was tragically shot outside her home following a dispute that turned violent. The incident, marred by misgendering and a lack of transparency from the authorities, highlights the ongoing violence faced by transgender individuals in the United States.
Transgender Woman Misgendered by Authorities
Family members of London Price revealed that the altercation began with her being pistol-whipped in front of her grandmother before the fatal shooting took place. Despite her family’s identification of her as a transgender woman, the police initially misgendered her and withheld her name from public disclosure. Price had been residing in the same house as her former boyfriend, a detail that has raised suspicions about the circumstances surrounding her death.
A Community in Mourning
Nedra Allen, London Price’s aunt, described her niece as a caring and compassionate person, always willing to help others. She lamented that Price’s kindness may have made her vulnerable to the tragic events that unfolded. Allen passionately called for justice for her niece, labeling the perpetrator as an “animal” and urging authorities to bring them to justice.
A Grim Trend in Transgender Violence
London Price is yet another tragic addition to a grim statistic. She is one of over 20 transgender, nonbinary, or gender-nonconforming individuals who have lost their lives to violence in the United States this year. Alarmingly, the majority of these victims have been women of color, underscoring the heightened risks faced by this demographic.
Tori Cooper, the director of community engagement for the Human Rights Campaign’s Transgender Justice Initiative, expressed deep sorrow at the loss of London Price and the broader issue of violence targeting transgender and nonbinary individuals, particularly Black and Brown transgender women. Cooper emphasized the urgent need to address both the epidemic of violence and the national crisis of gun violence, as a significant portion of these tragic deaths involve firearms.
The Human Rights Campaign (HRC) revealed that since it started tracking violent deaths of transgender people in 2013, nearly 70 percent of victims were killed with firearms. Additionally, 57.5 percent of those killed by a current or former intimate partner fell victim to gun violence, and a staggering 76 percent of these victims were Black trans women. London Price’s tragic death serves as a stark reminder of the challenges faced by transgender individuals and the pressing need for change to ensure their safety and protection.
