Though she only lived in Minneapolis for a short time, Liara Tsai quickly made a name for herself as a DJ and producer in the city’s vibrant dance music scene. Those who watched her entertain ecstatic crowds saw no limit to her talent or where it could take her.
But a week before Tsai was scheduled to play her first gig in New York, she was murdered, leaving the queer and music communities that loved her devastated.
“She was so excited about it,’’ Olivia Anderson, Tsai’s friend and former roommate, told a Minneapolis TV reporter about what would have been Tsai’s debut in Brooklyn. “She had been working so hard at her music for so long and she was finally starting to get the traction she was really searching for and the community she had been searching for for so long.’’
Given the political machinations around trans lives, it’s easy to forget that the number of people who identify as transgender nationwide is relatively small — 1.6 million people nationwide over the age of 13 identify as trans, according to the Williams Institute at the University of California Los Angeles School of Law. Whether in big cities or small towns, when a trans or gender-nonconforming person is killed, their loss is deeply felt in communities where many people know, or know of, one another.
At least 30 trans people nationwide and in Puerto Rico have been lost to violence this year. This is my third December column in remembrance of their lives.
Liara Tsai, 35, on June 22, in Minneapolis: In addition to being a DJ, Tsai was a military veteran, a trans activist, and a crisis counselor. “She was … profoundly curious about everybody else,’’ said Dana Kazuko, a fellow DJ. “She was herself, she had her beliefs, but then she would engage. She would talk about it. The way she presented herself was without a mask, without trying to be who you wanted her to be; she was always going to be herself.’’
Pauly Likens, 14, on June 25, in Sharon, Pa.: It was her contagious laughter that people remember about Pauly, who loved music and playing video games like Fortnite and Roblox. Pamela Ladner, president of LGBTQIA+ Alliance Shenango Valley, said the teenager aspired to be a park ranger.
Kenji Spurgeon, 23, on July 1, in Seattle: On a GoFundMe page, Spurgeon was remembered for her “infectious smile and quick wit’’ and an “extraordinary ability to uplift everyone around with laughter, a joke, a song, or a dance. Kenji inspired us all to seek joy and be cheerleaders for one another.’’
Shannon Boswell, 30, on July 2, in Atlanta: In her obituary, friends recalled Boswell as a “one of a kind’’ and a “sweet soul.’’ Boswell loved movies and spending time with her friends. In a written remembrance, Dee Robinson left this message on her friend’s memorial page: “Love you, sis. One of the funnest, sweetest people I know. Rest well, babes.’’
Monique Brooks, 49, on July 19, in Orlando: Brooks was so devoted to her community that she spent her birthdays hosting fundraisers for nonprofit organizations like the National LGBTQ Task Force and PushBlack, a nonprofit that works to amplify Black voices, news, and history. Mulan Montrese Williams, executive director of Divas in Dialogue, an Orlando community group for trans women of color, called Brooks “one of the sweetest souls I’ve ever known.’’
Dylan Gurley, 20, on July 23, in Denton, Texas: On a memorial page for Gurley, a friend wrote, “The first time I met all of Erin’s kids [Erin Ciarallo is Dylan’s mother], I just remember Dylan running around barefoot and all muddy … and just laughing and loving life. R.I.P Gurley. Mama bear, I love you and I’m so sorry.“
Vanity Williams, 34, on Aug. 3, in Houston: An Air Force veteran, Williams had recently started nursing school with the goal of opening a medical spa. Hope Giselle said that dream was typical for her friend. “She created and made a safe space for everybody’’ and often talked about speaking “truth to power about what it means to be a woman, what it means to be a woman of color.’’
Tai’Vion Lathan, 24, on Aug. 4, in East Baltimore, Md.: Carla Stokes, Lathan’s aunt, remembered her niece as “just who she was, a very outgoing person, a sweetheart.’’ Koryne Davis, a close friend, said, “I’m tired of losing my people … [Lathan] didn’t deserve that. She didn’t deserve to not be here.’’
Renée Graham is a Globe columnist. She can be reached at renee.graham@globe.com. Follow her @reneeygraham. To subscribe to her newsletter, Outtakes, go to globe.com/outtakes.
