Post submitted by Liam Miranda, former Senior Research Manager, Public Education & Research

HRC is deeply saddened by the loss of Ashanti Carmon, a Black transgender woman killed in Prince George’s County, Maryland, on March 30.

TransGriot’s Monica Roberts reports that Carmon was shot multiple times in Fairmount Heights and was pronounced dead at the scene. Earline Budd, a long time DC resident and staff member at HIPS, shared that other transgender people have been assaulted and attacked at this same place in the past. No arrests have been made. The investigation will be handled by the Prince George’s County Police.

“Until I leave this Earth, I’m going to continue on loving her in my heart, body, and soul,” said Philip Williams, Carmon’s fiance. “She did not deserve to leave this Earth so early, especially in the way that she went out. She did not deserve that.”

Williams said that they had gone out to dinner and a movie the night before she was killed. He said he couldn’t imagine why someone would want to hurt her.

Since 2013, HRC has tracked 134 incidents of fatal violence against transgender and non-binary people. Of these, 82 have been victims of gun violence. In November, HRC Foundation released "A National Epidemic: Fatal Anti-Transgender Violence in America in 2018," a heartbreaking report honoring the trans people killed ahead of Transgender Day of Remembrance and detailing the contributing and motivating factors that lead to this tragic violence.

Carmon was killed the day before International Transgender Day of Visibility, which is a day dedicated to celebrating and highlighting the experiences of transgender people around the globe.

This juxtaposition is salient. While visibility is a powerful tool to advance transgender rights, for too many, it can also entail discrimination, poverty and violence. We all must work to dismantle the systemic racism, sexism, biphobia, transphobia, homophobia and discrimination that impacts transgender people -- and that particularly targets Black transgender women -- to create a world in which trans people can live authentically and openly without fear of violence.

For more information about HRC’s transgender justice work, visit hrc.org/Transgender.