Trans Murder Monitoring
Trans murder monitoring project recorded 4 murders of transgender persons in Australia in the 14 year period 2008-2021. This includes murder for any reason (e.g. robbery gone wrong) not just transphobic violence.
Australian researcher Eloise Brooks includes suicide in his definition of a violent death in his ‘Counting the Dead‘ project. This inflates the numbers.
A closer look at the victims and perpetrators*
A closer look reveals male-patterns of violence are at play. All are victims of men.
One of the victims listed is not transgender.
2010 – Female drag performer Kristin Pye was murdered by Thai-born man Tara Gilbert. She was violently stabbed to death as Gilbert attempted to rob the adult shop where she worked. Pye was not transgender. She was a drag performer.
- https://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/national/queensland/killer-instinct-led-to-sex-shop-murder-20100329-r7ro.html
- https://www.couriermail.com.au/news/queensland/man-found-guilty-of-murdering-popular-drag-performer-during-sex-shop-robbery/news-story/d154a5607657351be75ac46b5d2da21b
2014 – Mayang Prasetyo, a male escort, was murdered and dismembered by his intimate partner, Marcus Volke. Volke later committed suicide to avoid police capture. https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2017/may/15/mayang-prasetyos-feet-found-in-stock-pot-in-brisbane-flat-inquest-hears
2019 – Mhelody Bruno, a Philipino man, came to Australia to visit his long-distance boyfriend in Wagga Wagga. The visit didn’t work out, and Mhelody became involved with another man, Rian Ross Toyer. Toyer was convicted of manslaughter for strangling Mhelody to death.
2020 – Kimberly McRae – A 20 year old male was arrested for the murder of 69 year old transgender sex worker Kimberly McRae. (Thank you to commenter Emma who provided this detail).
Female Victims in Australia
On August 24 2022, Sherele Moody of the Red Heart Campaign noted the violent murder of the 37th Australian woman killed this year by an intimate partner.
Great site!
I think the missing murdered trans person is Kimberly McRae in 2020 – https://qnews.com.au/man-arrested-for-urder-of-sydney-coogee-transgender-woman-kimberley-mcrae/
Thanks! The post has been updated with this detail now 🙂