Trans woman Jessi Hart found dead in Oregon

Jessi Hart, a 42-year-old transgender woman who experienced poverty and housing insecurity, was found dead in Oregon on October 17. Authorities suspect a wrong game that would make them at least the 43rd trans, non-binary, or gender non-conforming person to die of violence in the United States this year.

Hart’s body was found in a wooded area near Banks, a small town 25 miles west of Portland. Willamette week reported. Detectives believe she died about two weeks earlier.

Hart had been introduced in one Willamette week a June story of Portland residents living in motels “as a last resort to homelessness,” the newspaper said. She has suffered from housing insecurity since her transition in 2016. She said she lost her construction business and home, and in the transition she became estranged from most of her family.

She and her 13-year-old son Caleb “jumped out of a women’s shelter and a friend’s apartment in motels,” according to them Willamette week. She also had an adult daughter who lived in another part of Oregon.

She lost her subsidized motel room shortly after the story was published, lived in her car for a while while Caleb stayed with a friend, and eventually got another motel room with the help of a nonprofit organization.

“Jessi Hart has led a difficult life” Willamette week reported. “She felt like people looked at her differently because she had changed and she felt like she was never good enough in her new body. She spoke openly about poverty and the misery associated with it, which she did not gloss over. “

But she and Caleb had a close and supportive relationship, showing affection, and quitting each other, the paper said. She called Caleb “a super smart kid” and told the story Willamette Week, “He’s interested in physics. You go up to him and talk about regularities, that’s quantum mechanics. He taught me: the top layer of a black hole. “

Hart had a friend, Audrey Savage, who told the paper, “I’m going to miss everything about her. She was intelligent and thoughtful and caring, and I loved her quirks. The whole shorts with the knee-high stockings are added to the stretch pants thing. She also took almost all of my hats. When they found it, they found it in my camouflage hat. “

The story goes on

The Washington County Sheriff’s Office recovered Hart’s car, a black Saab from 2006 that had been painted white, although it is not known whether the car was anywhere near where her body was found. The sheriff’s officers have asked anyone who has recently been in contact with Hart to call them at (503) 846-2700.

“Housing insecurity often puts so many in our community in dangerous and worrying situations,” said Tori Cooper, director of community engagement for the Human Rights Campaign’s Transgender Justice Initiative, in a press release. “If Jessi Hart had had access to safe accommodation, it would be possible that she would still be with us today. As transgender people, we often face so many challenges and uncertainties, including housing and job security, and these situations can unfortunately lead to very unfortunate outcomes. My heart and that of the community go to her son Caleb. “

The number of trans, non-binary, and gender-disregarding Americans lost to violence in 2021 is nearing the 2020 record of 44, with many more likely to be added each year as some police or media casualties a wrong gender and be named dead or not reported their death at all.