Remembering Our Dead

TDoR 2024 / 2024 / May / 03 / Kita Bee

Kita Bee

Age 46

3 May 2024
Kansas City, Missouri (USA)
Hit and run

Kita died in a hit and run incident involving two drivers. Her loved ones suspect someone may have pushed her into the road.

Around 9:20 p.m. on May 3, Kita Bee — a 46-year-old Black trans woman in Kansas City, Missouri — was killed in a hit-and-run by two vehicles; her loved ones suspect someone may have pushed her into the road, The Kansas City Star reported. Police have identified one of the drivers, but charges are pending.

Bee had only recently found stable housing and had been involved in another hit-and-run accidentally earlier this year, according to Kris Wade, executive director of the Justice Project, an organization that helps re-shelter women who have experienced violence. Kita used to teach other trans women how to survive and stay safe on the streets, according to KC Transformations, a local trans advocacy group.

Bee’s sister, Raynisha, called Bee “very bold in her personality,” according to one source, adding, “She was an all-around entertainer. She loved to sing, dance, perform to make you happy, smile, or laugh.” Wade said of Bee, “She was in her full authentic persona all the time, and that takes guts when you’re a trans person. Especially a trans woman of color.”

KC Transformations raised money for Bee’s memorial service. Her cremated remains will be spread into the ocean.

Over the previous five years, several transgender and gender non-conforming people have been murdered in the Kansas City area, including (but not limited to):