Friends gathered on Sunday to hold a memorial for a transgender woman who was killed in Jackson last month. Dominique Jackson, 30, was found shot to death inside of her car on Rose Street on January 25.
Those who knew Jackson said her death highlights the need for Mississippi lawmakers to expand the state’s hate crime law to include sexual orientation and gender identity as protected categories.
“We just want the fact where laws like hate crime bills are being passed and stuff, including gender, sexual orientation and just disability alone could help the city to survive and to strive, said Laneyana Henderson, a friend of Jackson.
Lawmakers proposed House Bill 353 this year. It would have revised the delineation of classes of victims, triggering an enhanced penalty for a hate crime. The bill died in committee earlier this month.
As for Jackson’s case, police have not identified a suspect at this time.
