A week after her body was discovered, friends of Stephanie Montez spoke out to make sure her authentic identity was acknowledged.

The friends of Corpus Christi transgender woman Stephanie Montez were left aghast as their search for her revealed that the Sheriff had identified her as a “man in a dress” in an inexcusably transphobic police report. It wasn’t until a friend spoke up about her trans identity days later did they learn about her fate. If not for her friend speaking up we would have never known that a sister had been shot and left in a lonely field to die.

Blogger Monica Roberts at TransGriot writes:

She was found in a field off County Road 61 near Robstown, TX on October 21 with multiple gunshot wounds in the chest, abdomen and shoulders. The reason I’m just finding out about this a week later is because the Nueces County Sheriff’s Department misgendered and deadnamed her. If it weren’t for a Planet Transgender story and her longtime friend Brittany Ramirez speaking up and talking about her life in a Corpus Christi Caller Times interview , we wouldn’t have known about this latest Lone Star State trans murder

Stephanie was 47 years old. Her friend Brittany Ramirez spoke about Stephanie with the media.

Ramirez has known Montes for about 30 years. But she knew Montes as Stephanie Montez, a transgender woman whom she met while Montez performed in drag shows.

“She just had a great outlook on life. She was very supportive of everyone,” said Ramirez, 44. “… I’m hoping everyone has equal rights. It’s a human life regardless.” “I don’t know why anybody would do this.”

Medical examiners said Montes had been shot in the chest, abdomen and a shoulder.

The Nueces County Sheriff’s Department is still investigating the murder, and if you have any information on this case, you are urged to call the Nueces County Sheriff’s Department or Crime Stoppers at 361-888-TIPS (8477)

Corpus Christi LGBT and Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays Corpus Christi Chapter has organized a “Trans Rights Rally.” It will be at 2 p.m. Nov. 4 outside the federal courthouse in Corpus Christi.

Rest in power, Stephanie. You deserved a long, beautiful life. You deserved to be respected in death.

This very week, PublicSource published an essay I wrote about why I keep writing these posts. It breaks my heart in a very deep way to write yet another memoriam just a few days later. It breaks my heart each time I write these posts, but I believe it is imperative we add our voices to the friends and family seeking justice and an end to the violence.

The list of trans people killed in 2017 thus far.

Resources in Western Pennsylvania that can use your donation to support trans women of color and/or offer supports & services to those who need them. This list is not comprehensive. If you are in another region, use Google to find local trans resources. If you are struggling or need support, please reach out.