“We Are in an Absolute State of Emergency”: Black Trans Woman Murdered in South Carolina

A black transgender woman was shot and killed in South Carolina this past weekend, marking the third incident of fatal anti-trans violence in America in less than two weeks.

As The Post and Courier reports, Pebbles LaDime “Dime” Doe, 24, was found dead in her car from gunshot wounds in Allendale County on Sunday, August 4. Little information is known about the circumstances of her death, but local police are encouraging anyone with leads to contact law enforcement.

“If I knew Friday was my last time seeing you, I would have hugged you even tighter.”#SayHerName: Pebbles LaDime “Dime” Doe is the 15th known transgender person killed in the U.S. in 2019. https://t.co/ov93beJhzZ — Human Rights Campaign (@HRC) August 9, 2019

In a statement to The Post and Courier, Chase Glenn, executive director of the Charleston-based advocacy group Alliance for Full Acceptance, said Doe’s murder should be a wake-up call to LGBTQ people in the South.

“We are sounding the alarm,” Glenn added. “We are in an absolute state of emergency for black transgender women.”

The 24-year-old is remembered by friends and loved ones, who recall her love, generosity, and “bright personality.”

My heart aches for Pebbles LaDime Doe, Kiki Fantroy, and their loved ones. The murder of Black trans women is a crisis that we must call out—and address head-on. https://t.co/Cww2IdWBSw — Elizabeth Warren (@ewarren) August 9, 2019

Doe is the 15th known transgender American to lose her life to anti-trans violence in 2019 alone. Like her, the majority of this year’s victims have been trans women of color, particularly black trans women. She’s also the second trans woman from South Carolina to die a violent death in less than two weeks: On July 31, police in Charleston found the body of 29-year-old Denali Berries Stuckey.

Doe’s tragic death also coincided with back-to-back mass shootings in Dayton, Ohio, and El Paso, Texas, which collectively claimed the lives of nearly 30 people. As SplinterNews reported in the wake of the massacres, one of those victims was Jordan Cofer, a 22-year-old trans man and the sibling of Ohio shooting suspect Connor Betts.