Tonight: Vigil to Honor Recently Murdered Transgender Woman in Van Nuys  



Los Angeles, February 1, 2015 —  Tonight, Southern California LGBTQ community members are hosting a candlelight vigil in honor of Yazmin Vash Payne, a black transgender woman recently murdered in Van Nuys. Payne is the third transgender woman who was been murdered in Los Angeles in the last four months

WHAT: Vigil in Honor of Recently Murdered Van Nuys Transgender Woman

WHEN: Sunday, February 1, 2015 at 6 p.m.

WHERE: 14600 block of Saticoy Street, Van Nuys, California

“The National LGBTQ Task Force is outraged by the ongoing murders of transgender women taking place all across the country. Three transgender women of color have been killed in the last four months in Los Angeles and there seems to be no end in sight to these tragic homicides. The level of violence against transgender women in this country is unconscionable and has no place in our society. Together as a nation, we must continue to stand up against the ongoing systematic violence and educate the public about the real harm caused by hate and discrimination,” said National LGBTQ Task Force Deputy Executive Director Darlene Nipper.

 “We call on the Los Angeles Police Department to swiftly investigate the murder of Yazmin Vash Payne and bring justice to her loved ones and to the transgender community. Our thoughts and prayers are with her friends and family.”

BACKGROUND: The National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs reports that in 2013, 67% of all victims of deadly anti-LGBT violence were transgender women of color. In 2014 alone, twelve transgender women of color were murdered. According the National Transgender Discrimination Survey, transgender people are especially vulnerable to violence because of the discrimination they face in all aspects of their lives, from employment to housing to education to healthcare, and are five times more likely to live in extreme poverty—making less than $10,000 a year — than the general population. Last year, the National LGBTQ Task Force launched #StopTransMurders, a public education campaign to raise the voices of transgender activists and allies working to end anti-transgender violence.

–30–

To learn more about the National LGBTQ Task Force, follow us on Twitter: @TheTaskForce.

Bamby Salcedo
TransLatin@ Coalition
(Cell) 818.983.4194
bambys@translatinacoalition.org