October 31st 2023.
Dominic Dupree, a 25-year-old gender non-conforming entrepreneur, was tragically gunned down on Oct. 13 on the South Side of Chicago. This heartbreaking event serves as another reminder of the gun violence plaguing the city, which had seen a decrease in homicide rates in September compared to 2019, according to WTTW.
The LGBTQ community and Dupree's family have raised suspicion that this may have been a hate crime. Tori Cooper, Human Rights Campaign director of Community Engagement for the Transgender Justice Initiative, spoke up about the incident, saying, “Dominic had an entrepreneurial spirit and was passionate about providing services to help others. He was only 25, loved by so many people, and surely had so much more to give. We must all work to stop the horrific gun violence that too often takes the lives of Black transgender and gender non-conforming people.”
The events of that day are still unclear, but WTTW reported that Dupree was sitting in a vehicle that was approached and fired upon by an unidentified suspect. As of now, there have been no arrests. With this tragedy, Dupree has become the 32nd transgender or gender non-conforming person in the U.S. to die a violent death this year, and the 17th to be killed by a gun.
According to the Human Rights Campaign, since 2013, 231 transgender and gender non-conforming individuals have died by firearm, which accounts for over 70% of all deaths identified. A 2022 report also found that more than 10,000 hate crimes involve a firearm, totaling about 28 attacks a day. Not only have hate crimes targeting LGBTQ people risen since 2018, with a 41% increase in crimes directed toward an individual due to their gender identity, but the Southern Poverty Law Center reported a 40% growth in anti-LGBTQ hate groups in 2019.
Illinois has implemented protections for transgender and gender non-conforming people to prevent discrimination in employment, housing, and education. Despite this, there is still a long way to go to ensure the safety of individuals whose gender identities often make them targets.
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