Black Trans Women Shot to Death in Georgia, Mississippi

Bianca “Muffin” Bankz of Atlanta was a formerly homeless woman rebuilding her life, and Dominique Jackson of Jackson, Miss., was a community ... Politics Business A&E Transgender Bisexuality Religion Families Commentary Out Pride OutTraveler Plus Subscribe SubscriberServices EmailNewsletterSignup Contact Staff CareerOpportunities AdvertiseWithUs PrivacyPolicy PrivacyPreferences TermsofUse LegalNotice ©2021PridePublishingInc. AllRightsReserved SubscribeToTheAdvocate Print>Digital> Giveagift•Renew Searchform Search Editor'sPick Politics Election Commentary Culture Photography Podcasts ScrollToTop Crime BlackTransWomenShottoDeathinGeorgia,Mississippi Fromleft:BiancaBankzandDominiqueJackson Bianca“Muffin”BankzofAtlantawasaformerlyhomelesswomanrebuildingherlife,andDominiqueJacksonofJackson,Miss.,wasacommunityleader.Bothwerejust30. ByTrudyRing February0420213:52PMEST BlacktransgenderwomenwereshottodeathinGeorgiaandMississippiinJanuary,meaningthatatleastfourtransAmericanshavediedbyviolenceinthefirstmonthoftheyear. Bianca“Muffin”Bankz,30,wasfatallyshotinherapartmentinAtlantaJanuary17,butmediareportsofherdeathhavecomeoutinjustthepastfewdays.PolicebelieveherkillerwasamannamedMosesAllen,whothentookhisownlife,ProjectQAtlantareports. TheirbodieswerediscoveredbyBankz’sroommate,withwhomshehadoftenlivedonthestreets.Bankzhadmovedintotheapartmentjustafewweeksbeforeshedied. Policearecontinuingtoinvestigate,buttheysaytheincidentislikelytoremainclassifiedasamurder-suicide.“[Investigators]arenotlookingforanyoutstandingpeopleofinterestinthiscase.Thiswasnotrandomandisnotathreattothepublic,”spokespersonTaSheenaBrowntoldProjectQ. Bankzwasaformerfosterchildwhowas“justblossomingintoherself,”JessePrattLópez,founderandco-directoroftheTransHousingCoalition,saidatamemorialvigillastweek,accordingtothepublication.“Muffinhadn’tbeenintheapartmentfor…evenamonth,andwewerehelpinghergetajob.Weactuallyhadthejobinterviewscheduledforherthedayaftershedied,”Lópezsaid. Bankz,whoacquiredhernicknameduetoherloveofblueberrymuffins,hopedtoonedaycompeteonRuPaul’sDragRace,friendssaid.AngelKarmarainrecalledheras“sweetandkind.” TheHumanRightsCampaignandtheNationalBlackJusticeCoalitionbothissuedstatementsonherdeath.“Muffinwastrulylovedbysomanypeopleinhershortlifetime,”saidToriCooper,directorofcommunityengagementforHRC’sTransgenderJusticeInitiative.“AsBlacktranswomen,weareinfearforourlives!Alreadythisyear,we’velostmultipletransandgender-nonconformingpeopletofatalviolence,amajorityofwhomwereBlacktransgenderwomen.Weneedtodomore—weneedeveryoneinAtlantaandacrossthecountrytotakeactionandshowthatBlackTransLivesMatter.” “Bianca’smurderisindicativeofthehateanddisregardthatsomanypeoplehavefortranslives—hatethathasbeennormalized,”saidSageDolan-Sandrino,NBJCMonicaRobertsFellow.“Itshouldbelostonnoonethatthereissomuchworkthatweneedtodotoaddressthemanylayersoftransphobiathatimpactourcommunity.NotonlydidBankz’attackermurderher,afterenteringherhome,buthealsochosetotakehislife.Thistraumaandtragedythatisdisproportionatelyexperiencedinourcommunitymustend.” Jackson,also30,wasfounddeadinhercarJanuary25inJackson,Miss.,afterherauntreportedshehadbeenmissingforthreedays,accordingtoNBJC.Shehadcrashedhercarintoautilitypoleafterbeingshot.Policeinitiallymisgenderedanddeadnamedher,localTVstationWLBTreports,butupdatedtheirrecordsafterthestationpassedoninformationitreceivedfromcivilrightsgroups. Jackson(nottobeconfusedwiththetransactressofthesamename)waswellknowninhercommunityasthemotheroftheHauseofReddandfounderoftheLadiReddInc. “Dominiquewasamother,asister,aleader,andanecessitytoourcommunity,”Dolan-Sandrinosaidinapressrelease.“AlthoughInevermetDominique,IamsureshewasexactlywhoIneededwhenIwasyoungandtransitioning—alightsource,anexampleofwhoIcouldbecome,proofthattherewasafutureforme.Transwomenhavefoughtforeveryonethroughouthistory,yetwearestillbeingmurderedbythesamepeoplewhoweliberated.Wegiveourlivesinwaysnooneshouldeverbeexpectedto,onlytobemetwithconstanthate,discrimination,violence,anddisenfranchisement.Transwomendeservebetter.Thereisawaronourlivesathandandnooneissendingsoldierstoouraid.”  “Dominique’slifehasbeenextinguishedandherfriendsaredevastated,”HRCStateDirectorRobHilltoldWLBT.“Herfamilyaredevastated.AndsomanyofDominique’sfriendsaretransBlackwomenwhoarefearingfortheirlives,evenmoresothantheywerebefore.ButIdohopethatthishelpspeopletoseethatthisisarealproblem.” “Dominiquewasanimportantandvaluedmemberofhercommunity,whereshewillbegreatlymissed,”CooperaddedinanHRCpressrelease.HRCnotedthatbothBankzandJacksonwerevictimsofgunviolenceandcitedareportfromEverytownforGunSafetythatfoundthree-fourthsofhomicidesagainsttransgenderpeoplefrom2017through2019involvedagun,andnearlyeightin10homicidesofBlacktranswomeninthatperiodinvolvedagun. JacksonpoliceareinvestigatingthepossibilitythatJackson’sdeathwasananti-transhatecrimebutsaytheyhavenoevidenceofthissofar.Mississippi’shate-crimeslawdoesnotcoverattacksmotivatedbythevictim’sgenderidentity,butasuspectcouldbeprosecutedunderfederallaw,whichdoes. “It’scriticalthatlawenforcementdoeseverythingthattheycantobeabletomakesurethat,thattheyhavealloftheaspectsofacrime,especiallyifwesuspectitisbias-motivated,”HilltoldWLBT.“Westilllackalotofinformationaroundthiscase.” “Dominiquewasalegitimatevictim,”CandaceColemanoftheAmericanCivilLibertiesUnion’sMississippiaffiliateaddedinaninterviewwiththestation.“Shewasalegitimatevictimonthreedifferentpoints,actually.SheisfirstofallBlack.Sheisawoman,andshe’stransgender.Shehasthreetargetsonherback.” Lastyearwasthedeadliestyearfortransandgender-nonconformingpeopleintheU.S.sincethemediaandactivistshavebeenkeepingrecords,withatleast44dyingbyviolence.Theactualnumberislikelyhigher,giventhatmanyaremisgenderedbypoliceormediaortheirdeathsnotreportedatall. 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