Aerrion Burnett, a 27-year-old Kansas City resident, is the 27th known transgender or gender non-conforming person known to have been violently killed in the U.S. this year.
Burnett, a Black transgender woman, was shot in nearby Independence, Missouri at around 3:40 a.m. on Saturday. According to a report from the local news outlet KCTV, her body was found in a grassy knoll beside the road following a call to police.
Few details have been released to the public in a state that has limited protections for LGBTQ+ people. Missouri, for instance, does not protect citizens from discrimination on the basis of gender identity employment, housing, and areas of public accomodation. The state does have a limited hate crimes bill that includes gender identity as a protected characteristic, though it’s not yet known what the motive in Burnett’s killing was.
Family members and the local community have held vigils calling for justice, and Burnett’s friends honored her at a memorial service Sunday.
“She was a goddess,” said friend Korea Kelly, in comments originally reported by KCTV. “If you wanted to have a good day, you need to smile, Aerrion was the person you wanted by your side.”
The Human Rights Campaign reported that local media misgendered and deadnamed Burnett following the news of her death. HRC estimates that three-quarters of all known victims of anti-trans violence are misgendered by either news outlets or law enforcement following their deaths. The organization has published a guide for how media organizations should appropriately refer to trans people in their coverage.
HRC reports that 26 other trans people have been killed this year, matching the total number of trans people to lose their lives to violence in all of 2019. But the true number is likely higher: Many such deaths are unreported or not properly classified, and there’s no national standard for tracking anti-trans violence.
“Black transgender women are being killed at horrifying rates in this country,” said Tori Cooper, director of community engagement for HRC’s Transgender Justice Initiative, in a statement. “This level of violence is staggering, and it cannot continue. We need everyone — from community organizers to those in the highest levels of our government — to take action to end this epidemic of violence. I and everyone in the trans community are mourning Aerrion’s death.”
Burnett’s death coincides with a recently announced HRC campaign to address anti-trans violence. The campaign features PSA from Cooper, Pose actress Dominique Jackson, HRC Youth Ambassador Nakiya Lynch, and trans couple Sybastian Smith and Brandi Smith.
The campaign is supported by WarnerMedia, which began broadcasting the videos on cable channels Thursday.
“With this video campaign, the Human Rights Campaign is working to break down the stigma that contributes to the often-fatal violence that transgender and nonbinary people face every day,” said HRC President Alphonso David in a statement. “We hope that when people watch these videos, they will see themselves reflected in the humanity of these individuals.”
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