Family mourns transgender woman fatally stabbed in San Francisco

Taja DeJesus, 36, was found stabbed to death in the Bayview on Sunday, Feb 1. Taja DeJesus, 36, was found stabbed to death in the Bayview on Sunday, Feb 1. Photo: Courtesy / Erika DeJesus Photo: Courtesy / Erika DeJesus Image 1 of / 3 Caption Close Family mourns transgender woman fatally stabbed in San Francisco 1 / 3 Back to Gallery

As police investigated a fatal stabbing in the Bayview, the victim’s family recalled her Friday as a strong-willed and giving woman who grew up in San Jose but was drawn to San Francisco in part because of its acceptance of the transgender community.

Taja DeJesus, a 36-year-old transgender woman, was found with stab wounds on the 1400 block of McKinnon Avenue about 9 a.m. Sunday.

Police said Friday that they had identified a suspect, but declined to give further details. While authorities corrected earlier reports that had identified DeJesus as a man, police do not believe her death was a hate crime. SF Weekly, citing anonymous sources, reported that the suspect in the case was found dead of an apparent suicide behind a warehouse near the crime scene on Monday.

Her mother, Pamela DeJesus of San Jose, said her daughter was active in her Bayview church and a volunteer at a food pantry. “Taja was beautiful inside and out,” she said through tears. “She was a rock for our family.”

Taja was different from an early age, her mother said. She remembered when Taja was 3 and asked, “When do I get to grow up and be a girl?”

As a teenager, Taja DeJesus was independent, her mother said, filing all the paperwork to get a job at 15 and often taking the train to San Francisco — “without permission,” her older sister, Erika, chimed in — because she knew the streets and dance clubs of San Francisco were more tolerant.

She loved music and used the money she earned to buy her first stereo, which typically played either Prince or Madonna. Eventually, she moved to the city, getting her own apartment in the Bayview, which she loved, according to her mom, even though it wasn’t the safest part of town.

“Whenever she had anything extra, she would give it away. That’s just how she was,” Pamela DeJesus said. “I don’t know how anybody could do this. But I’m proud of how strong and selfless she was. That’s what brings me peace.”

Nikki Calma, a program manager at the Trans Thrive nonprofit community center in San Francisco, said Taja DeJesus was “always very bubbly and outspoken. She was a little loud, but that’s what made her unique.

“She was always the first to volunteer and just wanted to participate in everything,” Calma said. “She was very vocal about issues in the trans community, especially when it came to health and disparity. She was well known and will definitely be missed.”

Kale Williams is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. E-mail: kwilliams@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @sfkale