Advocates condemn killing of Mississippi transgender woman

GULFPORT, Miss (AP) — LGBTQ advocates say the recent fatal shooting of a 27-year-old Black transgender woman along Mississippi’s Gulf Coast reflects a disturbing pattern of violence against an already marginalized group. Shawmaynè Giselle Marie was shot June 21 after an argument ensued outside an apartment complex. Police arrested 20-year-old Makhari Seven Gasaway, of Gulfport, for the killing. According to the Human Rights Campaign, Marie’s death is at least the 18th violent killing of a transgender or gender-nonconforming person in the U.S. this year. Gun reform advocates said that since January 2017, there have been 191 killings of transgender individuals in America.