Muslim Girl – Not long ago I joined hundreds of New Yorkers to celebrate O’Shae Sibley’s life. We surrounded the Brooklyn Mobil Gas Station at the intersection of Coney Island Avenue and Avenue P, where O’Shae Sibley’s murder occurred when he was stabbed to death. With trans leader and activist Queen Jean on the megaphone, we repeated O’Shae Sibley’s name over and over. It was a powerful memorial organized by my Black queer and trans siblings, not too far from Kensington, the neighborhood I was raised in, and where I continue to use my role to defend democracy and fight against the efforts that embolden hate. 

O’Shae was a 28-year-old queer Black dancer. He lived a life of unbounded joy and freedom. His murder was a hate crime. He was killed because he was gay and he was murdered by Dmitriy Popov, a 17 year old boy. [Read More]