Trans Woman Tracy Single Murdered in Houston

Transgender woman Tracy Single has been murdered in Houston, making her death the 16th known homicide of a trans American this year, with all but one victim being Black women.

She was found dead in a gas station parking lot July 30, but she wasn't identified publicly until later. It took a week for the Houston Police's LGBT liaison to confirm that she was a trans woman, and activist Dee Dee Watters organized a town hall meeting last Sunday that led to Single being identified by name, the blog TransGriot reports. She was 22. How she died has not been reported, but local news reports said her death was a homicide.

In addition to being the 16th trans American murdered this year and the 15th Black trans woman, she was the third in Texas and the 12th under age 30, the blog notes. The only trans homicide victim this year who was not a Black woman was trans man Jordan Cofer, killed in a mass shooting by his brother Connor Betts in Dayton, Ohio, this month.

Houston is honoring Single by lighting its City Hall in the pink, blue, and white colors of the trans Pride flag and illuminating a section of bridges in the heavily LGBTQ Montrose neighborhood in the same colors, TransGriot reports.

Constant reports of violence against our community are difficult to read, especially as we continue to face historic rates. If you or someone you know is experiencing violence, you can reach out to the Anti-Violence Project's free bilingual (English/Spanish) national hotline at (212) 714-1141 or report online for support.

(RELATED: These Are the Trans People Killed in 2019)