Tiffany Banks
Age 25 (born 13 Sep 1997)1 Oct 2022
Miami, Florida (USA)
Shot
TDoR list ref: tgeu/tdor2023/01-Oct-2022/Tiffany Banks
Tiffany was shot and killed on Saturday 1st October - the first day of the period covered by TDoR 2023. Four days later a man was arrested and charged with 2nd degree murder.
In early September, Tiffany Banks celebrated her 25th birthday. A resident of Miami-Dade, the Black trans woman was a graduate of Lowndes High School, had worked at Dairy Queen, and identified her transition as her priority. Since 2019, she worked at L A Beauty & Aesthetics at Banks Beauty Bar. According to her family, she loved to both dance and dance, describing her as “a very sociable and beautiful butterfly.”
On October 1, Tiffany was killed in her hometown. There is very little information on the circumstances of her death. Crimestoppers reports she was killed around 8:13 AM near N.W. 16th Avenue and N.W. 77th Terrace in the Liberty City section of Miami. On October 5, Miami-Dade Police arrested and charged a man with murder in the 2nd degree with a weapon. I believe that person is still in detention. But as with many cases where family and friends use deadnames and misgender the deceased, the facts are complicated to find. Tiffany’s family buried her under her deadname, but included the name Tiffany and current photo in her obituary.
I’m not parsing their choices, but pointing out that they have consequences for other trans and nonbinary neighbors. I wouldn’t put this on the family, but on the community groups and allies. If there are not media links to share, that’s another disturbing issue to explore.
One problem with keeping details so secretive is that we don’t know if this person harmed other members of the community or presents an undoing threat if they are released. Miami is a very big city so tracking down media accounts of her death is nigh impossible although I have reached out to media contacts in that area. Details are important for the safety of all trans folx. And justice for Tiffany.
Rest in power, Tiffany. You deserved a long life filled with joy and beauty. Thank you for all that you brought to is world. I hope the people who love you find comfort in your shared experiences, while continuing to speak up for all trans Floridians. I am sorry we did not achieve that soon enough to protect you. You deserved so much more.
May your memory be a revolution.
Tiffany loved to sing and dance. Her family described her a “the light that would brighten up anyone’s darkest day."
https://www.them.us/story/tiffany-banks-trans-woman-killed
https://www.advocate.com/crime/2022/10/21/black-trans-woman-tiffany-banks-killed-miami
https://www.pghlesbian.com/2022/10/black-trans-woman-tiffany-banks-25-killed-in-miami/
https://www.hrc.org/news/remembering-tiffany-banks-a-sociable-and-beautiful-butterfly
