A 36 year old trans Latina woman–named Sophie Vasquez–has been found dead by police officers in the Brookhaven area of Atlanta, Georgia on the morning of May 4th, 2021. Public records describe the incident as a homicide by the use of a handgun. Police records use her dead name (not her female name) in the public report and described her as “male”. She has become the 22nd transgender person murdered in 2021 in the United States — and we are only 5 months into the year.
Upon learning about her murder, Li An (Estrella) Sanchez, the founder of grassroots organization Community Estrella–a project that does advocacy in the trans migrant and trans Latinx community in GA–has shared this statement: “Stop killing us, we are not hurting anyone, the only thing we are doing is surviving, which is something that society imposed on us. Surviving in this very racist and discriminatory society. Why [do they have] phobia? They don’t have phobia, this is not transphobia, this is [just] trans hate.”
Estrella is demanding accountability and for elected officials to not only acknowledge the ongoing epidemic of violence against trans individuals, but genuinely make it one of their focuses–especially to protect Black trans women, trans Latinas, and trans women of Indigenous descent–all who face disproportionate rates of violence, homelessness, and marginalization.
Sophie’s friends and family have described her as a great friend, kind, joyful, enthusiastic, and are in shock that her life was taken with such cruelty. She dreamed of starting her own business in the beauty industry and was planning on taking classes to obtain a master certification as a hairstylist. She would be remembered as an active member of Community Estrella and for singing to Natti Natasha’s song “La Mejor Version de Mi” (The Best Version of Myself), ironically her life was cut too short but her loved ones will always remember The Best Version of Sophie. Although Sophie was a visible figure while she was alive, her friends are demanding her visibility continue and have encouraged friends, and family, and the public to donate to a GoFundMe account that was created to cover the funeral expenses. The same post also asks for people living nearby to repost on social media about the incident in an attempt to collect more tips to help bring justice to the case–which remains still open.
Some of her closest friends and family expressed their sentiments on social media after learning about her death. Widalys Santiago Sosa wrote on Facebook: “I wish I would have hugged you harder the last time we saw each other and even though I always told you I love you before we parted ways, I wish I could say it again and again. I know you’re with me in spirit and will always be but I won’t really be okay until this case is solved. Similarly, Jennifer Bautista posted: “Fly high sister Sophie Vasquez. It was a pleasure living with a wonderful person like you with that unique spark that will characterize you forever. Lastly, Sophie’s sister spoke on her family’s behalf, stating: “All we want is justice to be done for my dear sister. Nobody has the right to take the life of anybody. We love you Sophie!”
