Elie Che

Elie Che, also known as Elijah Williams[2] (10 April 1998 – 31 August 2020), was a British[1] transgender woman. Her death in August 2020 became high-profile due to her prominence in the London queer nightlife scene, as well as the cultural focus on the deaths of transgender people due to their disproportionately shorter life expectancy.[2]

Elie Che
Born(1998-04-10)10 April 1998
United Kingdom
Died31 August 2020(2020-08-31) (aged 22)[1]
The Bronx, New York, US
Cause of deathDrowning
Other namesElijah Che[2]

Life and career

Che was born on 10 April 1998. She had relocated to New York City from Atlanta shortly before her death, to pursue her transition surrounded by other trans women of colour. Che had previously lived in London for three years where she has been described as a trans icon. She hoped to find work in fashion.[2] Che had walked for runway shows, as well as posed for multiple magazines.[3][4][5] Che was featured in the BBC's Other Voices documentary series. She also wrote a poem for the documentary.[6][7]

Before her death, Che had been crowdfunding to support her move to New York and her medical transition, and had told supporters of her GoFundMe that her goal was to live past the age of 35.[8][9]

Death

Che was found dead at the water's edge at Orchard Beach in The Bronx, New York, on Monday, 31 August 2020.[2] Her death was ruled as accidental drowning.[10][2] She was 23 years old at the time of death; the average life expectancy for trans persons is 35 years old.[11]

Before the cause of death was revealed, many media outlets and trans rights activists assumed that her death was related to violence. Transgender women of color are frequently the target of hate crimes. A 2018 FBI report found that of the hate crimes reported that year on the basis of sexual orientation bias, 24.9 per cent were victims of anti-lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender (mixed group) bias.[11] The National Center for Transgender Quality reported that 28 transgender people had been murdered in the first half of 2020, compared to 26 for all of 2019. Of these 28 victims, 23 had been transgender women, with the NCTQ noting that "the epidemic of violence is particularly pronounced for Black and Latina trans women."[12]

The London Trans+ Pride event in 2020 was held in honour of Elie Che.[9][13]

See also

References
  1. "Trans Day of Remembrance: 'When one of us is hurt, we all feel it'". BBC News. 20 November 2020. Retrieved 22 November 2020.
  2. "UK Trans Icon Elie Che Found Dead". PAPER. 3 September 2020. Retrieved 22 August 2021.
  3. Slater, Karl (23 April 2018). "Obsessed with.. Devin, Elijah and Rafael". KALTBLUT Magazine. Archived from the original on 3 June 2018. Retrieved 22 August 2021.
  4. Slater, Karl (10 March 2018). "Retro-futurisim by Karl Slater x Grace Ellington". KALTBLUT Magazine. Archived from the original on 17 March 2018. Retrieved 22 August 2021.
  5. Lehmann, Melanie. "Dear Self". Polyester Zine. Archived from the original on 22 August 2021. Retrieved 22 August 2021.
  6. "This is Who I Am: 'I want to reclaim the often misplaced voice'". BBC Arts. 11 October 2019. Archived from the original on 14 October 2019.
  7. "Other Voices". BBC (video). BBC Arts. Archived from the original on 4 October 2019. Retrieved 15 December 2020.
  8. Lins, LaTesa (5 September 2020). "U.K Trans Model Elie Che Body Found On Orchard Beach in N.Y, Vigil to be Held". Gaye Magazine. Retrieved 15 December 2020.
  9. Parsons, Vic (8 September 2020). "Trans icon Elie Che moved to New York because UK healthcare is so woeful. She was found dead less than a month later". Pink News. Archived from the original on 11 September 2020. Retrieved 22 November 2020.
  10. Garber, Nick (4 September 2020). "Transgender Harlem Woman Died From Accidental Drowning: Coroner". Harlem, NY Patch. Archived from the original on 15 September 2020. Retrieved 22 August 2021.
  11. Greene, David (6 September 2020). "Transgender Woman's Death Ruled Accidental Drowning at Orchard Beach". Norwood News. Archived from the original on 7 September 2020. Retrieved 22 November 2020.
  12. "Murders of Transgender People in 2020 Surpasses Total for Last Year In Just Seven Months". National Center for Transgender Equality. 7 August 2020. Retrieved 22 November 2020.
  13. Devaney, Susan (14 September 2020). "40 Galvanising Photos From The Trans Pride March In London". British Vogue. Archived from the original on 15 September 2020. Retrieved 15 December 2020.
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