Trans woman Sophie Lee shot and killed in Baltimore
Sophie Lee was shot and killed in Balitmore’s Barclay neighbourhood.(Instagram)
Baltimore’s LGBTQ+ community is mourning the loss of Sophie Lee, a 27-year-old trans woman who was shot and killed in the city’s Barclay neighbourhood.
Lee was reportedly found suffering from multiple gunshot wounds in the early hours of Friday morning and was pronounced dead at the scene.
Police have not yet announced any suspects, and it remains unclear whether her death was motivated by anti-trans bias.
Baltimore Safe Haven, a housing and health organisation that had previously worked with Lee, confirmed her identity and described her as both a former client and a friend to many members of its staff.
The organisation held a vigil for Lee on Sunday (13 September) and launched a fundraiser to help cover funeral costs.
In a heartbreaking statement shared through the fundraiser, the group wrote: “That pain has no gender. A mother’s tears don’t fall differently because her child was transgender. A family doesn’t hurt less because their loved one was different.”
It added: “Sophie deserved another birthday. Another laugh. Another chance to fall in love. She deserved to grow old.”
Lee had studied at Baltimore School of the Arts and was part of Baltimore’s ballroom community. She was reportedly named “Best New Overall Mother” last spring.
Her death has left friends, advocates and members of Baltimore’s LGBTQ+ community calling for answers and remembering a life cut tragically short.
