Remembering Elise: The Community Came Together & It Was Beautiful

A vigil took place to honor the life of Elise; a daughter, a sister, a friend and fearless advocate for the trans community here in Chicago. To have known Elise is to know what kindness really is and how it can show up in the world. 

00:00 – Welcome & Intro

00:12 – The Qube Ad, The one and only app curating the best of BIPOC & QTPOC podcasts & music. Be the first to know when the app drops. Sign up for the newsletter at https://theqube.app

00:50 – Intro Music by Aina Bre’Yon

01:31 – Remembering Elise: The Community Came Together & It Was Beautiful

Things for you to check out 

E3 Radio Coverage

https://e3radio.fm/tag/elise-malary

@annadeshawn Not the update I was hoping to report #blacktranslivesmatter #chicago #evanston #lgbt #lgbtq #queer #queernews #fyp #foryou ♬ original sound – annadeshawn

@annadeshawn I need y’all to duet & share this all over. We need as many people as possible to amplify this story. More details on the podcast tomorrow. #missing #missingperson #lgbt #lgbtq #fyp #fypシ ♬ original sound – annadeshawn

@annadeshawn Please keep sharing #bringelisehome #missing #blacktranslivesmatter #translivesmatter #lgbt #lgbt #queer #fyp #fypシ ♬ original sound – annadeshawn

Chicago Black trans woman Tatiana Labelle found dead

https://www.windycitytimes.com/lgbt/Chicago-Black-trans-woman-Tatiana-Labelle-found-dead/72706.html?fbclid=IwAR035cpeJkzjHkcUKVRyjrSSql8l_Q5tF-UCKgU2i5l8ODJwn1fxphlPNok

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Transcript

Family, this is your favorite queer radio personality Anna DeShawn here with our queer news from today. 

And today we will honor Elise. 

For those of you who may not have heard, there was a body found near Lake Michigan in Evanston on Thursday and it was identified as Elise on Saturday morning. I was hoping this wouldn’t be the story I was reporting but this is in fact our reality. Yesterday, a vigil took place to honor the life of Elise; a daughter, sister, friend and fearless advocate for the trans community here in Chicago. To have known Elise is to know what kindness really is and how it can show up in the world. 

I want to give you a front seat at the vigil in case you were unable to make it. In case, you don’t live in Chicago. In case, you wanted to come and COVID still scares the mess out of you. It’s all okay. I got you. As you walked up you could hear strings playing & people gathering.The thing with these types of events is that you often see people you haven’t seen for a while and given the way we’ve had to live over  the last few years there was a lot of that. A lot of long hugs. A lot of tears. 

One of the organizers for the vigil was Alexis Martinez, a long time trans activist here in Chicago and friend of Elise began the vigil reminding us that we were gathered to begin the process of healing. Let’s hear from her first. 

Alexis charged us to take care of each other and that’s exactly what Elise’s best friend, Angelina echo’d in their words about Elise. Angelina shared about their friendship and that they always knew to protect Elise’s light and spirit. 

We need our protector friends, don’t we. Those who will step in on our behalf when we don’t have the strength. Then we also need friends for whom we can share our dreams and our fears. Iggy, another one of Elise’s friends and comrades, spoke about this and it was one of the most heartfelt moments of the evening. 

Elise is resting in her power and KJ, the next speaker reminds us that what happened to Elise is one of the greatest fears for our trans fam.  

Elise’s legacy will live on. Her name will not be forgotten. We won’t allow it. Myles & Precious Davis shared similar sentiments. Take a listen.

Action. How do we take action? You do what you’ve been called to do. That is how we collectively create the change we want to see in the world. My action is my voice. It has truly been an honor to cover Elise’s story and this is not the end. We must find out what happened and we cannot let up. What makes this even more difficult is that Elise was not the only Black trans woman we lost last week. Tatiana Labelle also known as TeTe was found dead on the Southside of Chicago and the police have ruled her death a homicide. How much heartbreak can one community take? Tatiana, we speak your name. Elise, we speak your name. 

We will end the podcast with a little excerpt from the stings that were playing at the vigil yesterday. Hug the ones you love and protect them fiercely. Till tomorrow, family. Peace.  

Sources

E3 Radio Coverage

https://e3radio.fm/tag/elise-malary

Chicago Black trans woman Tatiana Labelle found dead

https://www.windycitytimes.com/lgbt/Chicago-Black-trans-woman-Tatiana-Labelle-found-dead/72706.html?fbclid=IwAR035cpeJkzjHkcUKVRyjrSSql8l_Q5tF-UCKgU2i5l8ODJwn1fxphlPNok