Shyyell Diamond
Sanchez-McCray, also known as Mabel, was an important community member in her home city of Petersburg, Virginia. A Black transwoman, she had won multiple pageants and was a frequent drag performer.
And then, an unidentified person's hatred took Sanchez-McCray's whole life from her. Neighbors heard gunshots in the middle of the night, and officials arrived to find that someone had killed her right inside her own home.
Sign the petition to demand authorities find the perpetrator who killed Sanchez-McCray.Violence against transpeople, queer people, and Black people is
horrifically common. So it's imperative that we both demand accountability - and that we uplift Sanchez-McCray's memory.
Sanchez-McCray was an
inspiration for others who saw the importance of honoring their own authenticity and living as their full selves. Not only did her drag performances and determination to be true to herself bring joy to those around her, but she was also
outspoken against the racism she experienced.
For example - Sanchez-McCray had previously lived in Charlotte, North Carolina. There, she and other patrons endured persistent racism from the staff and owner of a local LBGTQ+ sports bar called Bar at 316. One would hope that queer bars would make sure to always practice love and abhor discrimination, but apparently that was not that case. Instead, the owner had called Sanchez-McCray the n-word, and multiple other Black people had experienced microaggressions and racially-targeted cruelty. So Sanchez-McCray and fellow community activists to boycott the bar and call attention to this pervasive problem.
Sanchez-McCray also made sure to use her experiences to inform her empathy for others. In a social media post,
she described how "the trials and tribulations I had to go through when I transitioned" informed her care and compassion for a loved one's journey with their identity and transition.
She was beloved, and now because of someone's hatred, her light has been taken from this world. Police discovered her with multiple gunshot wounds in her body. Authorities pronounced her dead at the scene.
As of now, authorities have not identified a perpetrator. We must make sure they identify whoever did this and hold them accountable! Sign the petition.