Finding Jayla

Blaque/OUT Magazine has always taken on the grim but incredibly important task of reporting on the murders of Trans people. Reporting on these stories and recording the names and faces of the lost became even more Important when Federal and State agencies began wiping the public databases that held these statistics and national organizations stopped reporting them. Anytime you hear one of these stories from a reputable and respectful source they will say “at least.” At least 4, at least 10 because so often Trans people are Identified by only their biological sex by law enforcement who are then misgendered by media and identified publicly by only their legal name which Is often a “deadname” and not reflective of their gender Identity or person they were In life. These correct Identifications matter to record our history, respect people’s Identity In death and accurately depict who a person was. In addition, it often changes the victimology and thus the offender profile. It matters.