Every trans suicide is a murder by those in power

When I learned of her death, I thought of the countless times transgender people have pleaded for our humanity and our rights, and of how often we’ve continued to push for inclusion while clinging to the belief that a brighter future will come—one where we can share in the same basic dignity that Lia asked for. But I also understand the pain she must have carried. It’s a pain familiar to anyone who advocates for transgender people: those moments when hope slips away, when you watch an administration—all the way up to the presidency itself—target you, and when each new policy reminds you how precarious your place is, leaving you braced for the next blow.

It was this same kind of anti-trans hate and harassment that Lia faced. Early this year, the hate site “HeCheated” targeted her directly, listing her diving competitions and later celebrating when her name disappeared from the roster. Sites like HeCheated and SheWon are riddled with inaccuracies and strange logic, often ensnaring both trans and cis athletes in their obsessive attempts to police identity. Their real purpose is harassment, driving coordinated online attacks against anyone they mention.

Every transgender suicide is not just a tragedy, its a murder; it’s the foreseeable consequence of policies designed to make us disappear.

I don't have much more to say. To beg for basic dignity while being told how disgusting you are is not unique to the trans experience, but it definitely is, currently, the trans experience. And it's why I personally do not tolerate the "we must give up on basic human rights for trans people" complaint of the centrists.

Lia deserved better.