HRC mourns the death of activist and DJ Liara Tsai and joins Minnesota activists in celebrating her life

Although Liara’s body was found in a crashed car, evidence collected at the scene and in her home made it “obvious” to authorities that her death “was not the result of the traffic accident.” At the time of writing, one person, the driver of the car Liara was found in, has been charged with premeditated murder; according to Liara’s ex-spouse, the driver and Liara were former domestic partners who had a “sordid and emotionally challenging relationship.” Tragically, domestic violence accounts for a significant number of deaths among transgender and gender non-conforming people, and particularly transgender women. Since 2013, when the HRC began tracking fatal violence incidents, 55 transgender or gender non-conforming people have been killed by a current or former domestic partner, representing nearly a quarter of all victims with a known killer; 47 of these victims—nearly 90%—were transgender women. In 2024 alone, a third of all victims with a known murderer were killed by a partner.

At the state level, transgender and gender-expansive people in Minnesota are explicitly protected from discrimination in employment, housing, education, and public spaces. Minnesota includes both sexual orientation and gender identity as protected characteristics in its hate crimes law. While we have seen some recent policy victories supporting and empowering transgender people, we have also faced unprecedented anti-LGBTQ+ attacks in the states. In June 2023, the Human Rights Campaign declared a national state of emergency for LGBTQ+ Americans as a result of the more than 550 anti-LGBTQ+ bills introduced in state legislatures that year, over 80 of which became law—more than any other year. A year later, in 2024, more than 500 anti-LGBTQ+ bills were introduced in state legislatures across the country, with 39 bills becoming law in 15 states.

We must demand more from our elected officials and reject harmful anti-transgender laws at the local, state, and federal levels, while considering all possible avenues to end this violence. It is clear that deadly violence disproportionately affects transgender women of color, especially Black transgender women. The intersections of racism, transphobia, sexism, biphobia, and homophobia result in the stripping of their livelihoods. That is why we must all work together to promote acceptance, reject hate, and end the stigma of everyone in the trans and gender expansive community.

More resources:

• Learn more about the deadly violence cases HRC is tracking where the details are unclear. A list of those cases can be found here.

• Join HRC’s CountMeIn campaign to advocate for transgender and nonbinary people.

• Read these guidelines and these FAQs for journalists to ensure greater accuracy and respect in reporting.

• Learn how transgender and nonbinary people are fighting transphobia, stigma and anti-trans violence in our Celebrating Changemakers series.