Transgender actress, advocate, and writer; star, 'Lexie Cannes'

Transgender Day of Remembrance: A Reporter's List

I had the unpleasant task of having to report on 20-odd transgender deaths during the past year. Sometimes, just presenting the victims' names and how they died is enough to convey the importance of observing the Transgender Day of Remembrance.

This list is by no means a complete list. I should also point out that not everyone agrees on which types of deaths ought to be included in such lists. I've included domestic violence and suspicious deaths but excluded suicide. I'm starting with the most recent death and working my way back to November 2011:

Cassandra: Found burned in a forest near Rouen (Normandy) in France. The exact cause of death was not disclosed.

Malena Suarez: Found stabbed to death in her home in Carolina, a suburb of San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Janette Tovar: Murdered by her partner during a domestic dispute in Dallas, Tex. Her death was caused by blunt force trauma to the head.

Madona (aka Madonna): Died in a hospital in Aracaju, Brazil, of head injuries after an unknown group of people attacked her with stones.

Serap: Bled to death from a slit throat in Antalya, Turkey.

Kyra Cordova (aka Kyra Kruz): Found shot in the head in Philadelphia's Frankford area.

January Marie Lapuz: Died in a hospital after being stabbed at her home in the area of New Westminster, B.C., Canada.

Deja Jones: Shot to death in Miami, Fla., seven blocks from her home.

Donta Gooden (aka Tiffany Gooden): Stabbed to death in the K-Town area of Chicago. Her body was found in an abandoned building.

Vuyisa Dayisi: Found dead in her home in Duncan Village, South Africa.

Secil Anne:Throat was cut open and her face disfigured by a knife at her home in Antalya, Turkey.

Lorena Escalera: Found by firefighters in bed using thermal imaging after her building caught fire in Brooklyn, N.Y.

Brandy Martell: Found shot to death in Oakland, Calif.

Paige Clay: Found shot to death in the head in an alley in Chicago, Ill.

Coko Williams: Found shot to death outside a home in the Parkhurst area of Detroit, Mich.

Tyrell Jackson: Shot to death near Palm Beach, Fla.

Rosita: Stabbed to death at her home in the South Beach area of Miami, Fla.

Agnes Torres Sulca: Tortured before she was killed, her body was found in a ravine near Atlixco, Mexico.

Deoni Jones: Stabbed at a bus stop in Washington, D.C.

Sonia Masi: Shot to death in Gujarat, India.

Transgender Day of Remembrance is Nov. 20. You can also read a report on each individual on this list, including links to sources. Feel free to share your comments or new facts on any of the trans people on this list.

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