Description
Under a cold November sun, ladybugs linger on a solitary grave.
“I'm forever broken from this and I want justice for her,” said Hope Schumacher.
Every Friday, Schumacher visits an Olympia cemetery to bring flowers to her daughter’s burial site. Rikkey Outumuro, 39, was a transgender advocate and drag performer also known as "Tru Starlet" to her friends and the local LGBTQ+ community. Last Halloween, Outumuro was shot and killed by her longtime partner.
“I remember Rikkey telling me just a few years back how transgendered women die early in life. They're either murdered or they commit suicide,” said Schumacher. “ And I literally said to my child, ‘Well, that'll never happen to you.' And here we are.”
Statistics from the Human Rights Campaign show in 2020, seven out of 10 transgender murder victims are killed by an acquaintance, family member or intimate partner.
“It was not her time. She was brutally murdered. She was stolen from us. Her life was stolen from herself,” said Schumacher.
Outumuro’s murder comes at a time when violent crime against the transgender community has hit an all-time high. FBI data shows violent crime against the transgender community has increased 40% from 2019 to 2020.
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https://www.king5.com/article/news/local/olympia/transgender-remembrance-day-advocate-murder/281-079d00cd-da37-4782-ad35-1ea785961ee3