On Saturday, Nov. 20, Tampa PFLAG organizers will hold a vigil to honor transgender people who have lost their lives to a culture that imposes discrimination and violence upon them. During the vigil, they’ll also honor a member of the group who was killed in Tampa earlier this month.
On Nov. 2, Tampa Police (TPD) said a body was found in Sulphur Springs outside a home near 9th Street and Fairbanks Avenue. That person was 25-year-old Jenny De Leon,a member of PFLAG’s Tampa Bay chapter.
“This year we will honor the lives lost due to this blatant anti-transgender violence, and look to the future as we inspire change in our communities,” PFLAG Tampa, an LGBTQ+ advocacy group, wrote on the vigil event page.
The vigil will take place at 6 p.m. at Joe Chillura Courthouse Square, located at 600 E Kennedy Boulevard in downtown Tampa.
According to the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), 44 violent fatal incidents toward trans people were tracked in 2020, making it the most violent year on record since HRC began tracking these crimes eight years ago. But 2021 has already topped that number. Washington Post says at least 45 transgender and nonbinary people have been the victims of fatal violent attacks this year, making 2021 the deadliest year on record for the groups of people.
PFLAG points out that these are just the deaths we know of, not necessarily the entire amount of Trans people who have died. “Many of these stories go unreported—or misreported,” the group wrote. And unfortunately, transgender youth experience bullying at higher rates than straight youth, which can lead them to commit suicide, further blurring the numbers.
"It turns out that one of the 45 beautiful souls (that is 45 that we know of) that have lost their lives way too soon this year was that of one of my former youth and PFLAG Tampa family members,” Lucas Wehle of PFLAG Tampa wrote about the incident. “She came out and transitioned during her time at PFLAG, a couple there took her in and gave her a safe place to live and I was one of many who helped mentor her along the way.”
Jenny’s family has created a fundraiser to help with funeral costs and other expenses. Her sister wrote that Jenny was, “...a wonderful person with a beautiful soul who touched the lives of those around her. We are all devastated by this deep heartfelt loss.”
As the violence against transgender people like Jenny escalates, PFLAG chapters across the nation are working to create safer, more inclusive and equitable environments for all, including trans people. “We will not stand idly by while this violence happens—we will push for legislation to hold offenders accountable and advocate for education on transgender lives—we will put an end to this senseless violence,” the group wrote.
PFLAG—which has 400 chapters and 200,000 members and supporters—is the first and largest organization for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer people, their parents and families, and allies.
TPD has not made more information about Jenny’s murder available and is asking anyone with information about her death to contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-873-8477.
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