Julie Berman, a 51-year-old transgender rights activist in Toronto, was murdered on Sunday, police say, according to a report by the Globe and Mail. Berman frequently spoke out against transphobia, and just over two years ago she delivered a speech about a slain trans friend at a Trans Day of Remembrance event.
But Berman has now become a victim of violence herself. Police told the Globe and Mail that they found her inside a residence located in Toronto’s Brunswick Avenue and Harbord Street, suffering from blunt force head trauma. She was rushed to a nearby hospital, but passed away from her wounds.
While police have not released many details regarding the circumstances of Berman’s murder, they arrested a 29-year-old man, Colin Harnack, charging him with second-degree murder in connection with Berman’s death.
Harnack is not known to be a member of the LGBTQ community, according to Davina Hader, a friend of Berman’s and fellow member of The 519, a Toronto LGBTQ advocacy and services organization.
“It’s really heartbreaking,” Hader told the paper. “The same thing that she was trying to be vocal about happened to her.”
Berman becomes the third trans person to die from violent causes in Toronto over the past two years, according to the Globe and Mail report. But in the United States, the problem of anti-trans violence has been even worse, especially for trans people of color.
As AVN.com reported, when Brianna “BB” Hill was shot to death in Kansas City, Missouri, October 14, she became the 20th black trans murder victim of 2019 in the U.S., and the fourth in Kansas City alone.
She was also the third black trans porn performer to die as a result of homicide in the U.S. this year.
The problem of anti-trans violence is also serious in Ontario, Canada, where 20 percent of trans people report being the victim of sexual or otherwise physical assault, according to a recent study cited by the Globe and Mail.
"Julie has suffered violence in the past and it's important that we remember her advocacy in openly willing to talk about what happens inside the trans community, and her ability to advocate for rights of all members, that made the community better," Olivia Nuamah, executive director of Pride Toronto, told the CBC.
Photo By Pride Toronto Facebook
