Two days after the death of Chyna Doll Dupree, another transgender woman has been murdered in New Orleans.
According to the Times-Picayune, Ciara McElveen was reportedly stabbed in a car on Monday before police found her in the city’s 7th Ward. She was taken to a hospital but later succumbed to her injuries.
Along with being the second black trans woman to be murdered in New Orleans within the past week alone, McElveen is the sixth trans woman to be murdered in 2017, Mic reports.
Her name was #CiaraMcElveen. #SayHerName pic.twitter.com/yYQLCx9QIV
— Raquel Willis (she/her) (@RaquelWillis_) February 27, 2017
The Transgender Law Center’s communications associate Raquel Willis also pointed out the Times-Picayune misgendered McElveen during its initial reporting period, which came from an inaccurate revised report from the New Orleans Police Department. “We have confirmed this was a transgender woman and have updated the story,” reporter Richard Webster clarified. “The confusion earlier was based on police reports.”
The Times-Picayune was also called insensitive this week for using Dupree’s “dead name,” or birth name, when reporting her murder. Reporter Beau Evans initially defended the inclusion, but later removed her name after ongoing complaints.
“Know also that the buck doesn’t stop here: We are striving to report in greater depth on the issue of violence inflicted upon the LGBTQ community, particularly against trans women of color, as well as the reasons for the perpetration of such violence,” Evans said in his initial comment on Dupree’s coverage. “Should we encounter the issue of ‘dead-naming’ as a possible contributing factor toward this violence, we will thoroughly address that subject.”
Mic reports that LGBTQ youth organization BreakOUT! will be hosting a space for loved ones to mourn McElveen and Dupree, as well as celebrate their lives.
“While the numbers are staggering and many in our communities are still in shock, some BreakOUT! members say that they refuse to be afraid and that they won’t be silent,” the organization told Mic. “But we have so much other work to do in our communities—we need jobs, housing, education and access to safe spaces—and yet we continue to have to simply fight for our lives.”
