A 25-year-old Black trans Chicago woman is the latest victim of to die in the rising wave of violence against transgender women.
Pittsburgh blogger Sue Kerr broke the news on her site Pittsburgh Lesbian.
Her name was Brianna Ulmer, also known as Briana Hamilton and Brinasty. She was shot to death in the early morning hours in the 7800 block of South Bishop, Auburn/Gresham neighborhood, South Side on September 17, 2021.
Local news affiliate WGN9 reported:
[O]fficers responded to a person shot in the 7800 block of S. Bishop around 6:30 a.m. Friday. Upon arrival, a person was found with a gunshot wound to the head. They were transported to Holy Cross Hospital where they were pronounced dead. No one is in custody. Area 2 Detectives are investigating.
Kerr did some digging to find out more about this victim.
"Brianna lived in Chicago. Her social media feed is filled with affirmative self-love content as well as observations on culture, fashion, and society. It was just like the feed of most 25 year olds. She shared a recent trip to Detroit and posted sadly about the death of a local young man in her community. Her vibrancy is palpable. And that makes her death from a gunshot wound to the head in the early morning on the Chicago sidewalk so … numbing," writes Kerr.
Police have no leads and have issued no more information. Early reports misgendered and deadnamed Brianna. "Her friends and family stepped right up on that in the midst of their grief to set the record straight, a task most families don’t have to worry about during these times," said Kerr.
Brianna’s mother, Ronda, posted the shocking news on Facebook and updated followers on final arrangements.
According to Kerr's record-keeping, Brianna is the 37th trans, nonbinary or gender nonconforming person reported killed in 2021. Thirty-four of these neighbors have been BIPOC. She is the 28th victim who identified as Black. In total, there have been 37 murders or suspicious deaths in 2021, an average of one death every 7 days with 24 of these victims were under the age of 30.
"2021 is on track to exceed 2020’s record of 44 deaths. This number is potentially skewed due to underreporting in previous years. It is a horrifying reality," writes Kerr.
75% of the victims in 2021 have been Black. 66% have been under the age of 30.
