NOVEMBER, 2020 |
NEWS | QSALTLAKE MAGAZINE | 17
ISSUE 317 | Qsaltlake.com
a normal day. For that, she says a handgun is needed. “I suggest a Glock. Glocks are pistols that are easy to carry whether you want to open or conceal carry,” she said. “Glocks are small and reliable and are a good self-defense tool when you are first starting.” The group is still growing and is mostly organized through its Instagram page @ PinkPistolsSlc.
“We are very active on social media, and are continuously partnering with other organizations that have similar goals to us such as the National African American Gun Association,” she said. “We are currently creating a calendar of shooting practices. If someone wants to get involved all they have to do is reach out to us on Instagram @PinkPistolsSlc.” Pink Pistols was first introduced to
Salt Lake City in 2002 by gay activist David Nelson. The group changed its name to Stonewall Shooting Sports of Utah and was run by Scott Mogilefsky. Another swell of interest happened after the Orlando Pulse massacre in 2016 while Matt Schlentz was president. Q For more information on Pink Pistols SLC, go to instagram. com/pinkpistolsslc. For the national organization, go to pinkpistols.org
Over 40 transgender people were killed by violence in the past 11 months since Transgender Day of Remembrance ’19
At least 44
transgender or gender non-conforming people were fatally shot or killed by other violent means in the United States since the last Transgender Day of Remembrance in November 2019. The vast majority of those victims were transgender people of color, specifically Black or Latinx. We say at least because too often these stories go unreported or misreported. Very often a police department will misgender a trans person when talking to the public about the cases. The Human Rights Campaign says that there has never been such a high number of cases since they started tracking data in 2013. International statistics may be impossible to obtain, because in many countries transgender people are so oppressed that authorities would never release such information. Here are the names of transgender people in the United States who fell to violence since November 20, 2019:
NIKKI KUHNHAUSEN, 17, was found dead Dec. 7 in Larch Mountain, Oregon. She’d been missing since June. The suspect, who met her on Snapchat, told detectives he felt “shocked”, “uncomfortable”, and “really, really disturbed” when he found out she was trans. Her mother worked with Washington state legislators to have the Nikki Kuhnhausen Act signed into law – preventing defendants from claiming “diminished capacity” upon leaning of a victim’s gender identity. ALICE CARTER, died Dec. 18 in Washington D.C. at the age of 35. Known for years as Baby Alice, Carter’s friendly and cheerful disposition despite her struggle with homelessness and substance abuse made her a popular figure. YAHIRA NESBY, 33, was found dead by police who were called to her apartment Dec. 19 in Brooklyn, N.Y. She had been shot
in the chest and leg. A man was been arrested trying to escape from the scene. She was a beloved member of the ball scene and the House of Chanel. MIA PERRY, 26 was killed Dec 29 in Washington, D.C. by armed members of a private security company who responded to a call about an intruder in a vacant apartment building reportedly used for sex work. DUSTIN PARKER, 25, was fatally shot in McAlester, Oklahoma, early on New Year’s Day. His employers released a statement shortly after his death, remembering Parker as “a steadfast friend, an amazing husband, and father and generous to a fault. He loved fiercely, worked tirelessly, and took on life with so much hope and enthusiasm that his presence
brightened all of our lives.” ALEX MCCRAY, 22, died by suicide on January 4. In October 2015 he had won a court case over access to gender-appropriate bathroom and locker rooms at his high school. CAMILA MARIA CONCEPCION, a trans Latina writer, actor, and activist who worked on the Netflix series “Gentefied” and “Daybreak,” died Feb. 21 by suicide in Los Angeles. NEULISA “ALEXA” LUCIANO RUIZ, was fatally shot in Toa Baja, Puerto Rico on February 24. According to Metro Puerto Rico, members of her community knew her as “humble” and “noble.”
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