Lots of urban legend about Marsha P. Johnson throwing the "first brick" and lots of quoting this fable to feign moral superiority over those who don't support trans women, but would you speak up at all if she had been mur-dered today like she was in the 90s? We have to change the conditions that Black trans women live in, but first, people need to even notice that our girls are undergoing lynch-ing campaigns. Many don’t even know Marsha was murdered.
Two Black Trans Women Were Killed the Friday Before Last. Don't Look Away.
Making this on yet another sideblog as now three blogs have been shadow band for posting about Black trans life.
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On February 21, 2025 around 12:30 am, Amyri Dior, a 23 year-old Black trans woman was found with multiple gunshot wounds near 95th and Brown Deer in Milwaukee. She died on the scene. No other information on her murder is available at this time.
From the article by Pittsburgh Lesbian Correspondents on Amyri:
"This was a young woman who was loved. Born and raised in Milwaukee, little specifics are known but her friends are posting that she worked FT, had purchased a home, and was deeply connected with her extended family.
Amyri followed several professional athletes on social media. Family told the media that she loved to dance and sing.
'No matter who she came in contact with, she was always a good soul. I just don't understand why,' cousin Jakiala Jenkins said. 'She was always truthful with her life. She was just too loving.'
Family and friends held a balloon release on February 22.
I thought the comments from her family were touching.
'Live in the truth y'all,' said Dior's mother, Perriona Williams. 'I just want to tell everybody to live in the truth. It doesn't matter who you are, just open up, be an open book, so your family can know who you are and be able to love you for who you are.'
'We just need some type of understanding, of closure,' Jenkins said. 'We just want all trans [people] to stay safe. Know that you are loved.'"
Amyri is the youngest transgender person to die in 2025 so far, and the second Black trans woman to be murdered with a gun in February or in 2025.
***
Ervianna "Baydee" Johnson, a 25 year-old Black trans woman who went missing in the early morning of February 13th, was found dead on February 21st by her cousin. She was face-down and shoeless, and police are pursuing one suspect currently.
There's little information online about Ervianna's life. This is all I could find.
From an article by a local newspaper on Ervianna "Baydee" Johnson (warning: misgendering and deadnaming, incl. by family):
''It was just a joyful moment every time [she] was around,' [Her relative, Quashema Reaves] said."
Ervianna is the third Black trans woman to be murdered in February.
***
I'm so sorry, Amyri. I'm so sorry, Ervianna. We failed y'all. Rest in peace, beloveds. May your memories inspire change so not one more young Black trans woman must experience this. May Black trans women receive their flowers while they live.
Say Her Name. Amyri Dior.
Say Her Name. Ervianna "Baydee" Johnson.
Donate to Help Black Trans Sex Workers, Black Trans Women's Freedom of Movement, Homeless Black Trans Women, Black Trans Rental Assistance and Gender-Affirming Care, Black Trans Activism, Identification of Missing and Murdered Trans People, a Formerly Incarcerated North Carolinian Black Trans Woman's Survival, and Black Trans Women's Nourishment, Freedom, and Safety.
Pay Attention by Subscribing to the Newsletters or Social Media Accounts of News Outlets and Orgs that Report on Black Trans Women's Lives and Deaths (pghlesbian [outlet that informed me on Amyri], Blaque Out [outlet that informed me on Ervianna, NBJC, etc.).
Share This So This Doesn't Get Swept Under the Rug, and to Spread These Action Items
Edit: The first time I made this post, I only knew about Amyri's death. When linking Blaque Out, I saw the news about Ervianna. I don't know how to express the gut-wrenching feeling. Ervianna was found on the same day that Amyri died. The same day. Two of our women, dead. There's no words for this.
ID Below.
[ID: 1) A low resolution photo of a young, dark-skinned Black girl (Amyri) with soft, slightly frizzy light blonde hair. She is smiling gently with her white teeth partially visible from between her dark-pink lips, and she has silver, round stud piercings on each nostril. Amyri is wearing a white shirt, and is leaned back. Her eyes are very lidded, seeming to be from laughing/smiling. Her skin seems to be clear and clean, as it shines in the lighting. She has warm pink acrylic nails which are visible from a peek of a gesture her hand is making in the top left corner. A rounded, small photo cut off in the bottom right corner appears to imply this photo is a screenshot of a video call. She seems happy. 2) A black and white photo of Ervianna, a young Black girl with brown skin. Her hair is dark and in ruffled waves, parted in the middle. A tiny barbell piercing is on her cheekbone, and a stud piercing is right below her lip on the left. She is wearing long false-lashes, and has dark brown eyes. Her earrings are made up of a diamond-shaped piece covered in tiny pearls and strings of tiny pearls dangling to her shoulder below. She's also wearing a close-to-the-neck necklace that seems to be a silver chain, but it also features several light-colored jewel/flower shaped pieces in the front. Her expression is neutral, with her full lips slightly parted. End image description.]
