Remembering Skyler Gilmore, Transgender Woman Who Was The “Life of the Party,” Shot in Georgia

by Kathryn Smith •

Skyler Gilmore, a transgender woman from Stone Mountain, Georgia, was fatally shot and killed on June 4, 2021. Gilmore’s death was initially uncounted by HRC due to the lack of reporting that takes place when a transgender person, especially a transgender woman of color, is killed. Far too often these deaths go unreported, or misreported.

Not much is known about Gilmore’s life, other than that she worked as a cashier at a department store prior to her death. In her online obituary, someone left a note describing her as “the life of the party.”

Unfortunately, Gilmore was also forced to engage in “survival sex work,” a type of sex work in which “someone engages in sex in exchange for basic necessities like food or shelter,” according to one of Gilmore’s friends who spoke with police. Gilmore was engaged in this survival sex work with a gang member – she was then murdered by other gang members due to this relationship.

Gilmore’s death recently made headlines because the two people accused of killing her were found guilty by a jury of her murder in October 2024, after being initially arrested in November 2022. However, only one of her killers has been taken into custody for the murder (and is currently awaiting sentencing), as the other fled the state and is currently on the run, after being released on bond in February 2024 as they were awaiting trial. The guilty verdict was a bittersweet one for Gilmore’s father, who noted in a discussion with Fox5 Atlanta that “I have peace, and I’ll have much more of that when they catch this guy too.”

Gilmore’s murderer fled while on bond. The fact that it took events like this to make headlines speaks to the injustices consistently faced by Black transgender women in this country. We are more than our murders: we are friends, family and neighbors with hopes and dreams, and we are people who love and have been loved. Gilmore deserved security in life, and she deserves recognition in death

Tori Cooper, Director of Community Engagement for HRC’s Transgender Justice Initiative

More than 25,000 hate crimes in the U.S. involve a firearm each year, which equates to almost 70 cases per day, according to a 2022 report from Everytown for Gun Safety in partnership with HRC and The Equality Federation Support Fund, “Remembering and Honoring Pulse: Anti-LGBTQ Bias and Guns Are Taking Lives of Countless LGBTQ People.” The report also notes a marked increase in anti-LGBTQ+ hate crimes, especially against transgender people. In 2023, the most recent year for which data is available, the FBI recorded 542 hate crimes related to gender identity–an average of over 10 a week. This is the highest annual number of hate crimes related to gender identity recorded to date, accounting for almost 1-in-20 hate crimes recorded in 2023.


Unfortunately, Georgia is no stranger to anti-trans gun violence. To date, Georgia holds the fourth highest state total of victims of fatal violence since HRC began tracking in 2023, with 24 fatalities recorded. Two-thirds of these victims were Black trans women, all but one of whom were killed with a gun.

At the state level, transgender and gender non-conforming people in Georgia are not explicitly protected from discrimination in employment, housing, education and public spaces. Georgia does include sexual orientation and gender identity as a protected characteristic in its hate crimes law. Though we have recently seen some political gains that support and affirm transgender people, we have also faced unprecedented anti-LGBTQ+ attacks in the states.

We must demand better from our elected officials and reject harmful anti-transgender legislation at the local, state and federal levels, while also considering every possible way to make ending this violence a reality. It is clear that fatal violence disproportionately affects transgender women of color, especially Black transgender women. The intersections of racism, transphobia, sexism, biphobia and homophobia conspire to deprive them of necessities to live and thrive, so we must all work together to cultivate acceptance, reject hate and end stigma for everyone in the trans and gender non-conforming community.


More resources:

  • Learn more about the fatal violence cases that HRC is tracking where details are unclear. You may find a list of these cases here.

  • Watch this PSA campaign elevating stories of trans joy and love.

  • Join HRC's CountMeIn campaign to take action for transgender and non-binary people.

  • Read these guidelines and this FAQ for journalists to ensure greater accuracy and respect in reporting.

  • Learn about how transgender and non-binary people are combating transphobia, stigma and anti-trans violence through our Celebrating Changemakers series.


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