 May 26, 1987 - May 11, 2003 - Sakia Gunn was murdered on 11 May 2003 by a group of men who approached them. They proceeded to make lewd and suggestive comments to the women, one of whom, Sakia Gunn, stepped forward and told the men that she was a lesbian. She was then stabbed to death by one of the men.
Sakia was a 15 year old charismatic and dynamic young woman who was out and proud about being an ‘aggressive‘ ’ according to the GLAAD web-site, a homosexual woman color who dresses in masculine attire but does not necessarily identify as either lesbian or female-to-male transgender. Many of these young women mimic the esthetics of male rappers that are seen on the popular television programs for young urban youth of color.
Sakia held promise as a basketball player and was looking forward to becoming an upperclassman at
Newark’s West Side High. She and her friends were returning from socializing at NYC’s Greenwich Village piers. The ‘piers’ is a popular spot for lesbian, gay, and transgendered (LGBT) youth.
On the night Sakia was murdered, two men targeted them and wanted to instigate trouble. First flirting with and propositioning the ‘femmes’ in their group. The girls rebuffed the sexual advances of the much older assailants. Words were exchanged, a fight ensued, and Sakia was stabbed. She bled out and died in the arms of her best friend, Valencia.
1. See pictures from the Vigil of Sakia Gunn 2. Police arrest suspect in Gunn murder 3. Rallying for Sakia Gunn
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