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HRC Mourns Tydi, a Black Transgender Woman Killed in Baltimore
HRC is deeply saddened to learn of the death of Tydi, a Black transgender woman fatally shot in Baltimore on November 26.
Officers found Tydi unconscious on a street after neighbors reported the shooting, according to the Washington Blade. Tydi was taken to a local hospital, where she died from her wounds. At this time, not much information is known about the circumstances of her death, and the department is urging anyone with information to come forward.
“We know there was some sort of argument that took place and during that argument it looks like a person — one individual — pulled out a gun and shot (Tydi) and left her on the side of the road,” said T.J. Smith, a spokesperson for the Baltimore Police Department, in an interview.
Police are withholding her identity pending notification of her next of kin, but she was identified by her first name in social media posts from the Baltimore Trans Alliance, a local advocacy group in Baltimore City.
“Our hearts are heavy, and even more so at a time when violence in our community is at an all time high; with Black trans women being targeted specifically,” wrote the group.
Tonight, the Baltimore Trans Alliance will hold a vigil to mourn Tydi’s death and offer space to the community to come together and heal.
Tydi’s death marks the 24th known violent death of a transgender individual in 2018. She is the 17th known Black transgender person to be killed this year.
Earlier this month, HRC Foundation released “A National Epidemic: Fatal Anti-Transgender Violence in America in 2018,” a heartbreaking report honoring the transgender people killed in 2018 and detailing the contributing and motivating factors that lead to this tragic violence. It is clear that fatal violence disproportionately affects transgender women of color, and that the intersections of racism, sexism, homophobia and transphobia conspire to deprive them of necessities to live and thrive.
This epidemic of violence that disproportionately targets trans people of color — particularly Black trans women — must cease.
To learn more about HRC’s transgender justice work, visit hrc.org/Transgender.
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