“I was just like, Nah, I need to figure out what I can do for real for real.” “It happened in our back yard, in the city that I love, in the city that I praise without pause,” Yearwood tells New Times. Yet, at the same time, more trans people have faced violence and death from Mississippi to Miami.įantroy’s murder marked the moment when artist, advocate, author, and motivational speaker Octavia Yearwood sprang into action. This presents a troubling paradox: During the same period, trans people have become increasingly visible in mainstream media - from Caitlyn Jenner and Laverne Cox to the dozens of young trans actors, musicians, and creatives who have emerged to make their mark on popular culture - while activists have worked to secure the protection of trans rights in the Supreme Court and beyond.
The epidemic of violence against trans people - specifically black trans women - has continued to worsen with each passing year of the past decade.
At that point, Fantroy was at least the 15th black trans woman murdered in 2019 - a number that by year's end would nearly double.
One night last summer, 21-year-old Kiki Fantroy was killed after shots rang out in Goulds.
