Dallas police have ruled the death of a black transwoman found with a gunshot wound a homicide, making her the 11th transwoman of color murdered this year, and 13th murdered transwoman overall.
Dallas police identified the body of 22-year-old Shade Schuler after finding her badly decomposed body in a vacant field on July 29, reports Lone Star Q. Police say she was wearing a black wig, a blue and white tube top and false fingernails adorned with diamond studs and pink tips. Police have yet to clarify whether Schuler's appearance played a role in her death.
Despite Schuler's appearance the DPD misgendered her in their news releases along with local newspaper The Dallas Morning News in a story they released Tuesday, although they have since rectified their mistake at the behest of trans advocates. A vigil honoring Schuler is set for next Monday at Legacy of Love Monument in Oak Lawn.
Although national attitudes toward LGBT people have generally increased in the last year, transgender homicides this year have already exceeded the number of transgender homicides that occurred in 2014. A majority of this year's victims were between the ages of 20-30, with nearly all of them being women of color.
(Photo via Schuler's MySpace)
