Aug 11, 2015
Equality NC Mourns the Death of Elisha Walker
The native North Carolina transgender woman was found last night.
MEDIA CONTACT: Jonah Hermann, Equality NC, (920) 860-1416 -or- jonah@equalitync.org
RALEIGH, N.C. — Equality NC, North Carolina’s largest lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) advocacy organization, responded today to the discovery of Elisha Brown.
The transgender woman from Rowan County, was found today outside of Raleigh in Johnston County, North Carolina. Elisha had been missing since November 2014. Angel Arias, a known gang member, has been charged with her murder.
Elisha's death marks the 14th death of a trans woman in 2015 alone, as well as the high point in a national crisis around the killing of transgender people of color.
"Today, our hearts are heavy with the news of the death of Elisha Walker. The Equality North Carolina family and the LGBT community in North Carolina's thoughts are with the victim of this tragic violence," said Chris Sgro, Executive Director of Equality North Carolina.
Equality NC today launched a petition to the White House and the US Department of Justice, joining the national chorus of LGBT people and allies calling on our federal leadership to investigate the rash of violence against trans women in this country.
"With 14 trans people, many of them transgender people of color, murdered in 2015, something must be done. We are in a state of emergency as it relates to violence against members of the transgender community, and we are asking leaders and community members at every level to consider both the overt and underlying reasons for these killings. We cannot rest until the violence stops," said Sgro.
For more information on the petition and how to help, see equalitync.org/ActOnTrans
ABOUT EQUALITY NC: Equality NC is a statewide organization working to secure equal rights and justice for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender North Carolinians. For more information, please visit www.equalitync.org