Vanity Williams, a 34-year-old Black trans woman, was shot and killed in Houston, Texas on August 3 – the 25th, at least, violent killing of a trans or gender fluid person in the US in 2024.
Speaking to reporters, Vanity’s friends described her as someone who “would always makes you smile or laugh,” and who “created and made a safe space for everyone.” Grieving her loss, they spoke to her passion for “lifting the Black community and women,” and her ability to “speak truth to power about what it means to be a woman, what it means to be a woman of colour.”
On social media, where she also went by Chanel Williams, friends and loved ones reminisced about her “resilient soul, brilliant mind, and beautiful spirit,” and her love of makeup, nail art, and fashion. A GoFundMe has been created to provide support for her family, and cover funeral expenses.
Across social media, Vanity’s friends echoed a quote she often said: ‘I don’t fear death! I fear injustice!’ “A United States Air Force veteran, Vanity spent her life serving her country and community, and she should still be here today, continuing to pursue her own dreams. Instead, in another senseless death, she was let down by the same forces that continue to plague our community – transphobia, misogynoir, and gun violence. I grieve alongside her loved ones, including those in our NextLevel community.”
Vanity was shot and killed in the lobby of her apartment building in downtown Houston, where she was found by the police and pronounced dead at the scene. A man has subsequently been arrested and charged with her murder; he is currently being held in jail in Louisiana, where he fled after the shooting, and is awaiting extradition. Authorities have not released details on the relationship between Vanity and her killer, though her friends told reporters the two knew each other.