Authorities
told local TV station KDKA they responded to calls of a body lying in the
street in the Wilkinsburg area of the city around 6 a.m. on January 1. The
victim had been fatally shot.
Detectives
with the Allegheny County Police told the station they have launched an
investigation.
Local Black
and trans rights advocacy group SisTers PGH identified the victim as Lej.
“Amarey was a
bright woman and former student at Woodland Hills [School District]. We at
SisTers PGH would like to send her fellow classmates our deepest condolences,
but also our deepest gratitude, as you rose in protection of Amarey when she
needed it most,” SisTers PGH said in a statement on Facebook.
Lej, who also
went by Myara, is the first reported killing of a trans person in the country
in 2022. As Pittsburgh City Paper reports, she is one of
half a dozen trans people of color who have died in the Pittsburgh area in
the last year.
“Amarey was
not the first, but it is up to every one of us to fight like hell to make sure
she is the last,” SisTers PGH said. “This is our time, as trans people and
activists, to gather and engage in conversations regarding safety and policy.
It is our time to demand not only justice for Amarey, but for all of us. Our
lives are on the line, and we deserve not just survival, but peace and joy.”
The group
added: “As we move into this New Year, let's keep Amarey in our hearts and
minds to inspire us on this journey for our liberation.”
Anyone with
about Lej’s death is asked to call the local authorities 1-833-ALL-TIPS.
Last
year, there were a record number of trans and nonbinary violent deaths in
the U.S. since human rights groups began tracking these numbers — although
many more likely go unreported due to misgendering and deadnaming.
SOURCE: ADVOCATE
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