Washington Moms Demand Action, Students Demand Action Respond to Shooting of Transgender Latina in Centralia, Washington
11.5.2021
CENTRALIA, Wash. – The Washington chapters of Moms Demand Action and Students Demand Action, both part of Everytown for Gun Safety’s grassroots networks, released the following statements after 39-year-old transgender, Latina Rikkey Outumuro, also known under her drag name as Tru Starlet, was shot and killed in Centralia, Washington last weekend.
“One thing is clear from her loved ones: Rikkey had a pivotal influence on the queer community of Lewis County,” said Julia Cappio, Students Demand Action Leader in Washington. “Our hearts go out to everyone impacted by this tragedy. The fight to end gun violence must always include the fight to end hate-fueled violence against transgender communities.”
Rikkey is at least the 44th transgender or gender non-conforming person to be killed in 2021 in the United States and Puerto Rico just less than two weeks after Jo Acker, a 26-year old trans woman was shot and killed in Boise, Idaho, and it’s likely there have been more deaths that have gone unreported or victims who have been misgendered.
2020 was previously the deadliest year on record for trans and gender nonconforming people in the U.S., but 2021 has now reached the same number of people killed with two months remaining in this year. Some trends from 2017 to 2020 that are on track to continue in 2021:
- Guns are the most frequently used weapon in the murder of trans people. Three-fourths of trans people killed in America were killed with a gun.
- Black trans women account for the majority of homicide victims in the trans community. To put this into perspective, while Black people make up 16% of the trans population, 75% of known trans homicide victims between 2017 and 2020 were Black.
Everytown for Gun Safety Support Fund has tracked homicides of transgender and gender non-comforming people in the U.S. since 2017. In addition to breaking down gun violence to the state- and county-level, the platform includes a database of known trans or gender nonconforming homicide victims in the United States.