Today in the BPPP team meeting, one of our collective who works in the Baltimore area shared that a young Black trans woman (under the age of 30) had been found murdered at the intersection of North Calvert Street and East 24th Street. Her purse was found a short distance a way, about 2 blocks. Her name has been released by Maryland Safe Haven, the trans led organization that she was connected to for about 6 years. Her name was Sophie.
BPPP is a trans and sex worker led organization and we all have years of experience in various places but several of us have been deeply connected in the DC and Baltimore areas. So many times we have had to see a member of our communities dead in the street. It is hard to bear the loss for many reasons but one of the reasons is that the story of what happened is not told and if the police get involved the narrative can be stigmatizing and add to the pain.
This is why having a safety plan and being part of community is so important because if the worst does happen, those of us left behind might be able to piece together a narrative of the resistance. In this case, folks who knew Sophie well had shared that she was feisty. She would have protected herself and her life. We remembered the times that we ourselves had resisted when experiencing violence, throwing a shoe for example, or jumping out of a car, making damn sure we had all our valuables with us and good to go. We thought about recent examples in which sex worker organizations have also been targeted with violence and the leader fought back. Resistance can come in many forms, sometimes staying still can also save your life. We honor Sophie for her courage, her feistiness and the wonderful time she spent here on this earth. There will be a candle light vigil for Sophie this evening and there is an online fundraiser for her expenses.
We write this at a time when we are also being asked to remember the legacy of Gloria Steinem. We may write a post about her but here is the heart of what can be said. Gloria Steinem was one of the original SWERFS and TERFS, who after almost 40 years of supporting hatred of trans people relented and began to support trans rights. Steinem never backed away from her vitriolic anti-sex worker rights view, and continued until her death to fund policies and organizations that would criminalize sex workers, trans folks and low income communities. These laws, policies and approaches do not help prevent the kind of violence that ended Sophie’s life. Steinem never made the leap to accepting in full the resistance, power and passion of trans people and sex workers. She remained part of the problem and not the solution. Today we lift up the life of Sophie and support the work of trans and sex worker led organizations that can create the change that is needed.
Vigil details are as follows:
Sunday, September 13, 2026
7:00 PM
Calvert & 24th Streets, Baltimore
Wear RED and bring a candle
