Published On November 13, 2023
Remembrance Report 2023
By The National Center For Transgender Equality
Remembering the 438 trans people who have passed in 2023
Do you know of someone else who was lost or want to tell us more about a loved one?
A Eulogy for Trans Lives
Every life is a universe. We pull the people we love into our orbit and we shine like brilliant stars–even if some days we feel like we'll never get off the ground. But the impact we have on those around us is both undeniable and significant.
We crafted this digital space for both grieving and celebrating those we’ve lost. Countless precious trans lives have been extinguished, and to grieve is an arduous journey. However, in our period of grief, we persist. We pay tribute to and exalt the existences of those who have departed, and our brilliance remains unaltered. We radiate with an intensity that will outlast our earthly tenure. We shine with a fire that will burn long after our time on Earth. Trans people have always been here, and we always will be.
The individuals below are just some of those we pay our respects to.
Read the Remembrance Report and explore the full list of those we've lost to discover more about their narratives.
Tortuguita
Tortuguita was known for their bubbly, kind, and loving personality. They worked alongside many other activists who defended the local Atlanta forest from being torn down for a proposed massive police training center, dubbed "Cop City" by locals. The proposed police training ground has received enormous pushback from local activists citing disproportionate violence that people of color in Atlanta have long faced at the hands of police. Tortuguita became a crucial and much-loved part of that community, hosting campfires and sleepovers, and falling in love with Vienna, a fellow forest defender. Vienna described Tortuguita, often affectionately called "Tort," as "generous and loving," and always wanting to take care of people.
Outrage over Tortuguita's loss has galvanized activists speaking out against police violence around the world.
"[They were] a privileged person but [they] chose to be with the homeless, to be with the people that needed [their] caring," said Tortuguita's mother, Belkis Terán, who lives in Panama.
Atlanta, Georgia
Cashay Ashanti Henderson
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
In her work with Milwaukee-based group Sisters Helping Each Other Battle Adversity (SHEBA), Cashay was described as "inspiring, funny, sweet, and fabulous." She was close with her godson and her niece, and was a beloved member of her extended family.
Cashay loved fashion, makeup, hip-hop, and being there for her fellow trans sisters. She was "nothing less than a joy to be around."
Nova Dunn
Manchester, New Hampshire
Nova was a fourteen-year-old who was dearly loved by his friends. While many specific facts about his situation remain unknown, one friend of the family said that he was searching for "peace and acceptance."
Joanne Steere, the mother of one of Nova's friends, wrote that "he'll be forever missed–his kind soul and his warm smile. He was one of the sweetest kids I've met and always looked out for his friends. My daughter lost one her best friends, but I know she'll never forget him and the many good times they had."
Banko Brown
San Francisco, California
Banko is remembered as an "inquisitive and deep listener" who had all the signs of becoming a leader in his community.
Sadly, Banko was housing insecure, and friends say he was severely exhausted and hungry at the time of his passing.
Despite his struggles, Brown was a beloved youth advocate and community leader, working as a Community Organizer with the Young Women's Freedom Center since he was 12. Though he was shy, he made everyone laugh with jokes and dances. Banko was beloved by his found family and the San Francisco trans community.
Eden Knight
Columbus, Georgia
At 23, Eden had big plans for her future. She wanted to be a "role model" for fellow Saudi trans women and to become a force for good in the trans rights movement. Her death, after she was lured back to her birth family under apparently false pretenses and then denied her hormone medications, sent shockwaves through the trans community and around the world.
In Eden's honor, trans people around the globe started using the sun emoji online to represent how Eden lit up the lives of the people closest to her.
Rolling Stone reported that 'in grieving for Knight, her friends also mourn the loss of someone poised to make a difference for the rights and recognition of trans people.' They wrote in a communally edited Google Document that laid out the events leading to her untimely death, "Eden was funny, sharp, well-read, and concerned with making the world a better place. She stood up for marginalized people and regularly critiqued the conservative, suffocating culture she had left back home."
"Nearly every time we talked, she talked about all the amazing stuff she was going to do," [friend Ashley] Biddiscombe reflects. "And I knew she could do it. She was so driven and had so many ideas and cared for other people in a way no other people really do. I looked up to her a lot."
Biddiscombe adds that while living in Georgia, Knight "helped fund plenty of other trans people to pay for their own medication out of pocket," even redistributing donations she received.
"She desperately wanted to ensure no other trans kid ever had to go through what she did," says Chad. "And she spoke about it with such clarity and confidence, you couldn't help but believe she could do it single-handedly." Brugger agrees, "She wanted to fight for our community. Despite all her fear, she wanted to fight for a world where other trans people could be happy."
Chyna Long
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Ever since she was eighteen, Chyna was known for her dance moves and expert choreography. Her father says that neighborhood girls would "come over in droves, and she would teach them dancing."
Her family has received anti-trans abuse for years, but they always loved and stood by their daughter. Long's aunt Alissa Davenport told reporters that the person who murdered her niece doesn’t understand the gravity of the crime they committed. "They took a piece of our joy," Davenport said. "You try to be strong but the senseless murders, for whatever reason, we're tired of it," Davenport told TMJ4 News. "We've been living in Milwaukee all our lives and we're tired."
A'nee Johnson
Washington, District of Columbia
A'nee was known for her "zest for life" and was looking forward to becoming an aunt when she passed away.
"I want them to remember her for her zeal, her passion, and her consistency," her friend Oluwaferanni Olarinde told the local news. "How consistent she was with showing her face and making sure her energy was pure and lively." On Facebook, Olarinde also wrote that "every moment" getting to know A'nee was "a pure blessing."
Henry Berg-Brousseau
Arlington, VA
From a young age, Henry spoke up for his trans community. At 16, he made headlines for his eloquent testimony against a proposed bathroom ban in Kentucky, where his mother, Karen Berg, serves as a state senator.
When he passed, Henry was working as the Deputy Press Secretary of the Human Rights Campaign. While he did find a loving and supportive community, his mother said, he continued to struggle with his mental health and the daily onslaught of anti-trans rhetoric.
According to his mother, he was always “working to extend grace, compassion and understanding to everyone."
"Henry was first and foremost a fighter and an advocate. He was fighting for transgender rights as a teenager in Kentucky, far earlier than he should have had to,” the HRC president, Kelley Robinson, said in a statement. “As part of his job at HRC, he faced down anti-transgender vitriol every single day, and no one was more aware of the harm that anti-transgender rhetoric, messaging, and legislation could have on his community.”
“If I have one ask, it would be this: practice tolerance and grace,” Henry's mother, Karen Berg said. “Work on loving your neighbor.”