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23 year old Black Trans Woman Elie Che Found Dead in New York City
August 31, 2020 we lost another trans neighbor, a 23-year-old Black woman from Harlem. Her body was found in the Bronx. Her name was Elie.
Police found the woman unconscious and unresponsive in the sand near Orchard Beach Road and Park Drive at approximately 6:09 a.m. EMS responders arrived shortly thereafter and pronounced her dead.
There is very little information available about the circumstances of her death other than this. We are waiting on the autopsy.
I am writing this blog post, not because we suspect Elie is the 27th victim of transphobic violence, but simply because all of the media coverage to date is making a mess of her name, pronouns, and identity. And people deserve to know about her life and death in the context of who she was, not some jumbled mixture of old and new, living and dead realities.
A 23 year old young woman is dead and deserves better than the coverage her death is receiving.
Elie Che had recently relocated to NYC from Atlanta to pursue her transition surrounded by other trans women of color. She had previously lived in London for three years where she has been described as a massive trans icon. She hoped to find work in fashion. Her social media feed is filled with carefully curated photos exploring…
