A transgender woman was shot and killed on National Coming Out Day amid the deadliest year on record for trans people in the US
Sara Blackwood, a transgender woman, killed on National Coming Out Day October 11.
The 39-year-old was walking home when she was shot and murdered, reported CNN.
"Tragically, she died on National Coming Out Day, a day that is marked every year on October 11 to emphasize the importance of coming out and creating a safe world in which LGBTQ people can live openly as their authentic selves," read a statement by the Human Rights Campaign.
Blackwood is at least the 33rd trans person to be murdered in 2020, which is the deadliest year for transgender and gender non-conforming people on record.
Sara Blackwood, a transgender woman living in Indianapolis, was shot and killed when she was walking home on October 11, National Coming Out Day.
The Indianapolis Police Department reported the 39-year-old was found on the side of the road and taken to the hospital where she died from her injuries. The IPD has ruled her death a homicide and is currently looking for any leads.
—Ari (@Ariellex1_) October 17, 2020
"Tragically, she died on National Coming Out Day, a day that is marked every year on October 11 to emphasize the importance of coming out and creating a safe world in which LGBTQ people can live openly as their authentic selves," read a statement from the Human Rights Campaign.
According to the HRC, Blackwood enjoyed playing video games, was a fan of the show "My Little Pony," and folklore.
"I loved her so much and I am grieving so deeply," Avery Blackwood, Sara's spouse of eight years, told CNN. "She was my whole world and I am inconsolable."
2020 is the deadliest year on record for transgender people
Blackwood is the sixth transgender woman to be killed in the last 23 days and at least the 33rd trans person to be murdered in 2020. More trans people have been murdered in 2020 than ever on record.
This year has been an unprecedented year of violence towards trans and gender-nonconforming people in the US, especially transgender women and femmes of color, according to data.
Both the American Medical Association and Human Rights Campaign declared the ongoing murders of transgender women of color an "epidemic" of violence in 2019 after 27 people were murdered.
"We must all ask ourselves what each of us is doing to work to bring this violence to an end," Tori Cooper, HRC Director of Community Engagement for the Transgender Justice Initiative, said. "We are mourning Sara's loss along with her friends and family, including her domestic partner Avery, who are all in our thoughts.
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