Post submitted by Sula Malina, Children, Youth and Families Program Coordinator

HRC mourns the death of Jaylow Mcglory, a Black transgender woman fatally shot in Alexandria, Louisiana, on August 4.

The National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs (NCAVP) reported that Mcglory, 29, was shot multiple times. Police have charged Desmond Harris with her murder. Multiple social media posts suggest that the two may have been in a relationship leading up to her death, indicating that Mcglory’s death may be a case of intimate partner violence.

Mcglory was unfortunately misgendered in initial media and police reports, and in her funeral home obituary. Her identity as a transgender woman was not publicly confirmed until several months after her passing by BreakOUT!, a community group in New Orleans, Louisiana. The group contacted NCAVP to report Mcglory’s death. Without the work of these advocates, her death may have continued to go unrecognized.

Friends noted that they would miss Mcglory’s “smiles and laughs.” On her online obituary page, Mcglory’s sister wrote that Mcglory would be missed and that she “[continues] to watch over us.” A cousin of Mcglory’s expressed her despair on Facebook, writing, “I Just Wish I Could Have Saved U Jaylow Baby … R. I. P.”

As is too often the case in the reporting of anti-transgender violence, Mcglory’s misgendering delayed our awareness of this deadly crime. The misgendering of transgender individuals is indicative of anti-transgender bias and discrimination too often seen from law enforcement, in media reporting and by our highest elected officials. In the pursuit of greater accuracy and respect, HRC offers guidelines for journalists and others who report on transgender people.

Mcglory’s death, if committed by her partner, is a painful reminder that more must be done to support those experiencing intimate partner violence. Trans people are disproportionately represented in domestic violence cases across the country. Jamie Saunders, CEO of Willow Domestic Violence Center, noted that transgender people face “additional unique barriers” in seeking safety and support from domestic violence.

To learn more about HRC’s transgender justice work, visit hrc.org/Transgender.