Fatal Violence Against the Transgender and Gender-Expansive Community in 2024

The Human Rights Campaign is both saddened and infuriated by the deaths of at least eight transgender and gender-expansive people whose lives were tragically and inhumanely taken through violent means, including gun and intimate partner violence, in 2024.

Since 2013, the Human Rights Campaign has tracked incidents of fatal trans violence— the same year the Federal Bureau of Investigation began reporting on hate crimes motivated by anti-trans bias— and provided action items that can help end the violence.

These victims, like all of us, were loving partners, parents, family members, friends and community members. They worked, went to school and attended houses of worship. They were real people who did not deserve to have their lives taken.

As we continue working toward justice and equality for trans and gender-expansive people, we celebrate the lives for those we have lost in 2024:

In 2024...

75% of victims were people of color

12.5% were Black transgender women

75% were killed with a gun

50% of victims with a known killer were killed by a romantic/sexual partner, friend, or family member

25% were misgendered or deadnamed by authorities or the press

According to their obituary, River Nevaeh Goddard "had an amazing, outgoing personality. She was very creative and artistic, she loved to write her own music. Her cuddly nature was only matched by her quick wit, and goofiness.” River, who used she/they pronouns, also went by Phoenixx and their birth name Neveah. On April 5, 2024, Stow, Massachusetts police responded to a call for a wellness check. Police were able to make their way inside the home after two hours and found River had been killed by stabbing.

Tee "Lagend Billions" Arnold, a 36-year-old Black transgender man, was shot and killed in Hallandale Beach, Florida on April 3, 2024. Tee was known among friends and family for his love of travel, his nieces and nephews, and for "always offering words of encouragement" to loved ones in need.

Emma Garcia, a 25-year-old transgender woman, was killed in the Santurce area of San Juan, Puerto Rico on February 1, 2024. Emma was initially misgendered and deadnamed by police and in news reports. In reports about her death, she was identified by a former name and her gender assigned at birth. Unfortunately, HRC has been able to uncover relatively little information about Emma’s life at this time.

Meraxes Medina, a 24-year-old Latina transgender woman, was called a “sister” by her friend Alisha Veneno on a GoFoundMe page, saying Meraxes “was more than just my friend.” According to her own Instagram account and a blog post by Pgh Lesbian Correspondents, Meraxes was a makeup artist who also worked at Universal Studios Hollywood, enjoyed shopping and watching the Jurassic Park movie series, and admired Shakira and Karol G.

Alex Taylor Franco, a 21-year-old transgender man, was shot and killed in Taylorsville, Utah on March 17, 2024. At a vigil held in his honor, Alex’s loved ones described him as “an athletic, cheerful man with a big heart,” who was “so much more than just Alex.”

Diamond Brigman was a Black 26-year-old trans woman. She was described by her friend as “larger than life.” She was killed during a drive-by shooting while standing on a street in Houston. Her death, and those of other trans people in Texas, underscore the need for significant and immediate legislative changes.

Righteous TK “Chevy” Hill, a 35-year-old Black transman known to his friends and family as TK and Chevy, pushed for Black LGBTQ+ inclusion throughout his community. Chevy opened ‘Evollusion,’ a full-service hair salon dedicated to serving the LGBTQIA+ community in Atlanta, to help Black queer people feel comfortable in a traditional Black barbershop setting.

Chevy was tragically shot and killed in East Point, Georgia on February 28, 2024, in the front yard of his home.

Kitty Monroe, who also went by their birth name Marcos Lugo, was a 43-year-old Latine transgender person who was known for painting, singing, and having a great sense of humor. In April 2023, Kitty spoke about her experiences as a transgender person in a powerful interview for the YouTube channel Tales from the Streets. Tragically, Kitty was killed in Phoenix, Arizona on January 1, 2024.

HRC has been tracking reports of fatal anti-transgender violence for the past several years. Previous reports can be found here: 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019 and 2018.

While every case is unique, far too often, we see the same themes and trends emerge in the fatal trans violence cases we report. Young trans women of color -- particularly Black trans women, continue to be disproportionately affected. Victims are often killed by partners, family members, and acquaintances, and guns are used in the majority of deaths. Additionally, misgendering and deadnaming remain far too common in media and law enforcement’s reporting of these cases.

Some of these cases involve clear anti-trans bias. In others, the victim’s trans or gender-expansive status may have made them more susceptible to violence by forcing them into unemployment, poverty, homelessness and/or survival sex work.

In all cases, it remains clear that the intersections of racism, sexism, homophobia, biphobia, and transphobia conspire to place the trans community at risk of fatal violence.

Brief Guide to Reporting on Transgender Individuals

In the pursuit of greater accuracy and respect for transgender and gender-expansive people in both life and death, HRC offers guidelines for journalists and others who report on these communities.

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Additional Concerning Deaths of Transgender and Gender-Expansive Individuals

In doing this work, some cases surface for which there is insufficient information available to determine inclusion in our formal fatal violence recording. HRC monitors developments to these cases closely and frequently calls for further investigation into the causes and circumstances surrounding their deaths.

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Dismantling a Culture of Violence

This report demonstrates how anti-transgender stigma, denial of opportunity and increased risk factors compound to create a culture of violence — and provides clear ways each of us can directly make an impact to make our society a safer place for trans and gender-expansive people.

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The Human Rights Campaign reports on news, events and resources of the Human Rights Campaign Foundation that are of interest to the general public and further our common mission to support the LGBTQ+ community.