32-year-old Brandi Bledsoe was found dead last week in Cleveland, Ohio, according to Cleveland.com.
She was found in her underwear with bags over her head and hands in a suspected homicide, though the medical examiner has not offered an official cause of death. Police spokesperson Jennifer Ciaccia confirmed Bledsoe had head trauma.
Ms. Bledsoe's body was discovered by a 5-year-old who was riding his bike on Saturday.
No suspects have been confirmed; consequently, police have not determined a motive for the killing.
Ms. Bledsoe came out as transgender two years ago, according to her cousin John Craggett.
"She wasn't very outgoing before she told us," Craggett said. "She just wasn't happy with who she was. When she told us, she was honestly a lot better as Brandi. She was happy."
Craggett says he cannot imagine why someone would kill his cousin.
"She was really beautiful," he said. "She was really sweet and nice. That's what bugs the crap out of me about this. Whoever did this can rot in hell."
Ms. Bledsoe lived with her grandfather Johnnie Ledbetter until recently.
"We got a long great when she lived with me," Ledbetter said. "I wish she was around more after she moved out."
Mya Taylor, 24, has won rave reviews for her performance as Alexandra in the independent film Tangerine. Tonight she made history as the first openly trans actor to triumph at the Independent Spirit Awards with her win for Best Supporting Female.
During her hilarious, touching acceptance speech she recounted her first thoughts upon hearing from director Sean Baker that the film would be shot on iPhones, “The movie ain’t gonna be sh*t.”
Thankfully, Mya was wrong. The movie has a 96% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. And Mya underscored the need for broadened opportunities for trans actors. "There's very beautiful transgender talent. So, you better get it out there and put it in your next movie," she joked.
Caitlyn Jenner made her debut this week on the cover of Vanity Fair. Werk, Caitlyn. There are many things that need to be explored regarding the way we talk about trans and gender nonconforming folks, but I don’t feel like I’m the right voice to do so. so I’ll stick to my comrade lane, and talk about some of the more foolish objections I’ve seen from people about Caitlyn’s transition.
Thirty one years ago today, Laverne Cox was born. You probably know the Mobile, Alabama native from her role as Sophia Burset in the Netflix series Orange is the New Black. Cox has also made appearances in Law & Order, Faking It, and The Mindy Project.
