Penny Proud, 21, became the fifth Black transgender woman murdered in the U.S. earlier this year, sparking outrage. People took to social media to express their frustration using popular hashtags like #BlackTransLivesMatter and #MakePennyProud.
Proud was found dead Tuesday, Feb. 10 in New Orleans with multiple gunshot wounds, receiving little mainstream attention.
“If you know a trans woman of color, lift her up and hold her close. We are being murdered in the streets simply for breathing,” Lourdes Ashley Hunter, 39, national director of Trans Women of Color Collective, tweeted.
According to advocates, Black Lives Matter and coverage around it shouldn’t only focus on the victimization of Black men by police; it should be supportive of Black trans women lives. Hunter said Black trans women and Black Lives Matter are working together in leading Black liberation.
Read more via MadameNoire.