On July 21, the body of 25 year old India Clarke was found dead in Tampa Florida with a gun shot to the head. An 18 year old young man had confessed to friends and DNA evidence supports that claim.
Why I bring this murder up is the response by her parents and county police. County police call her "a man in a dress". They refuse to use her preferred pronoun nor call her transgendered. This maybe due to her parents referring to her as him and using her male name.
This is so sad for her and her family. It reminds me of my cousin back in the early 1970's. Here is it 40+ years later and her family refuses to acknowledge her gender fluidity.
It appears she lived at home or atleast visited home and was in college. For her parents to misgender her is frustrating given how far we have come in the last year or so. This case shows that there is still much work to do.
She is the 10th transperson of color to murdered since January 2015. I personally do not think its a race issue but a sociology economic issue. She was is college but appears to be practicing risky behavior. This puts all women in a more dangerous situation. But especially transwomen of color.
One of my main goals toward the end of my transition is to assist in creating a local "safe house" for young transpeople to help them become productive citizens in the community and not have to risk their lives just to maintain a basic standard of living.
Below, I has included some pictures from her Facebook account. As you can see, she is not a "man in a dress". She takes great pictures and has a very cute style.
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