Asia Jynaé Foster, a 22-year-old black trans woman, is the 38th trans person to have been murdered in the US this year after she was found dead in Houston, Texas on Friday November 20 – the annual Trans Day of Remembrance. According to local TV station, KTRK, Foster was found dead in the southwestern part of the city with multiple gunshot wounds; Police have not yet identified any suspects and it is unclear if the incident is being treated as a hate crime.
Foster is the third trans person to have been killed in Texas this year, and her death comes only days after that of another trans woman, Yunieski Carey Herrera. She had been a client of Montrose Grace Place, a drop-in shelter for LGBTQ+ young people experiencing homelessness, which held a vigil for her. During the gathering, a family member said: “This will never be forgotten. Asia will never be forgotten”. She was also described as a “beacon of light” in the local community who was “excelling professionally and personally”.
Tori Cooper, the Human Rights Campaign’s (HCR) director of community engagement for the Transgender Justice Initiative, said in a statement: “Asia’s death is reported to have occurred on Transgender Day of Remembrance, a day on which we honor those in our community we’ve lost to fatal violence. The fact we marked the most violent year on record only to be met with yet another tragedy is unacceptable”.
According to the HRC, 2020 is the deadliest year on record for trans Americans, with violence disproportionately affecting black trans women like Foster. In addition, a new report by Everytown for Gun Safety, an American gun control advocacy organisation, found 3 out of 4 trans and gender diverse people murdered in 2020 were victims of gun violence. The author of the research said: “It’s clear that ending gun violence must include ending anti-trans violence.”
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