Single Mother's QR Codes Spread LGBTQ+ Resources

Promise Edwards, a single mother of three living in Laurens, South Carolina, spends her spare time passing QR codes out to schools, churches and members of her local community. Scan one, and you'll be led to an online document full of LGBTQ+ resources across the state — which Edwards hopes to expand to a nationwide list by 2024.

The heart-shaped codes — on stickers, embedded in keychains, printed on T-shirts and more — are sometimes adorned with sparkles or owls because, according to Edwards, they were "Jacob's favorite thing."

Edwards, known as Aunt Lulu to 18-year-old Jacob Williamson, welcomed the newly out teen into her home after he was kicked out of his own.

"The day after he moved in with me, he said, 'I'm trans, and I go by he/him and I want to be called Jacob,'" said Edwards, whose mother had been Edwards' childhood best friend. "I said, 'OK. I love you,'"

"He was only allowed to be himself for 28 days."

Four weeks after Williamson went to live with Edwards in June, he went missing after going to meet up with online friends for the first time.

Edwards had pleaded with him not to leave, even going as far as asking her supervisor at the Waffle House where they both worked to change his shift in order to make scheduling more difficult — but Jacob remained unconvinced. He shared his location with Edwards through an app, got into the car, and drove away.

Little did Edwards know, it would be the last time she would see him alive.

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Police discovered his lifeless body on the side of a road in South Carolina — just three days before Edwards' 37th birthday.

Williamson became the latest victim in a string of violence against transgender individuals in the United States in 2023. He was at least the 14th trans person to be murdered, according to HRC. These alarming statistics highlight the increased risk faced by trans people, who make up only an estimated 0.5% of the U.S. population.

Data compiled by nonprofit Transgender Europe reveals that 320 trans and gender-diverse individuals were reported murdered between October 2022 and September 2023. However, the actual numbers could be even higher, as Transgender Europe suggests. Disturbingly, 94% of the victims identified as trans feminine people or transgender women, meaning they were not assigned female at birth. Additionally, three-quarters of the victims were young adults between the ages of 19 and 40.

The week culminates each year in Trans Day of Remembrance, which was founded on Nov. 20, 1999, by trans advocate Gwendolyn Ann Smith, to honor Rita Hester, a trans woman who had been killed the year before. The vigil honored Hester and the deaths of all the other trans people who had been lost to violence that year, according to GLAAD.

"It's a day to honor and remember the folks that have died, but it's also a chance for us to reckon with, where do we go from here?" said Arielle Rebekah, communications coordinator at the Transgender Law Center. 

"Every day is the day to think of a way forward," they said.

Mariah Moore, the co-director of policy and programs at the Transgender Law Center, agreed and reflected on how imperative it is for allies to show up for trans people. 

"A lot of folks are very vulnerable and feel alone and isolated," she says. "You could change the trajectory of someone's life by simply saying something — letting them know that they have someone ... that is also standing beside them, willing to fight for them." 

In addition to her work at the Transgender Law Center, Moore is also one of the co-founders of an organization called House of Tulip, which was born during the COVID-19 pandemic and works to find long-term housing solutions for trans and gender non-conforming people in Louisiana, where she is based.

"The goal is to help folks build a stable foundation so that they can have access to the futures that come so easily to others," she says, adding that the organization is a shining reflection of successful "coalition work;" identifying a cycle and working to fill a need by collaborating with others and sharing knowledge and resources. 

In the U.S., 586 anti-trans bills have been introduced in state legislatures this year alone, and aim to restrict or completely ban access to gender-affirming care, rid trans youth of the ability to participate in sports, arts and clubs — and in more extreme cases, even threaten parents with child abuse charges for affirming their kids' gender identities.

In the current tenuous political climate, the mental health of LGBTQ+ youth is worsening, according to the results of a national survey by The Trevor Project.

"I believe that Jacob was not singled out because of his transgender identity, but rather, he was targeted because of his transgender identity," states Edwards. "These individuals took advantage of the fact that Jacob was partially open about his identity, that he was estranged from his family, and that he had no one but me and my family."

Following Williamson's tragic murder, Edwards reveals that while many people in her life, including close friends and family, have turned their backs on her, the transgender community has embraced her wholeheartedly as she continues to fight for justice for Jacob.

"I truly wish we had received this level of support when Jacob was alive," she expresses. "If we had, we might not even be having this conversation right now." 

As Rebekah eloquently puts it, "Despite the violence we face, we are thriving."

"Yes, we may be under attack," Moore adds. "But you know what? We are also fighting back. And we are prevailing." 

Transgender Visibility and Resilience in the Face of Violence

Each year, despite the increasing violence against the community, more and more young people are embracing their transgender identities and finding representation in various forms of media, such as film, television, and literature. The significance of transgender visibility is even acknowledged by the White House, as Transgender Day of Visibility is officially recognized.

"My life is great," says Eden Estrada, a popular YouTube star known as Eden the Doll. "I had a hiccup, but my life is good."

In August 2020, a video capturing a violent attack on Estrada and two of her friends was uploaded online and quickly became a viral sensation, making national headlines overnight.

According to Estrada, while waiting for an Uber in Los Angeles, they were assaulted and robbed, resulting in one of Estrada's friends being knocked unconscious. The Los Angeles Police Department later investigated the incident as a hate crime.

"I'm grateful to be alive," expresses Estrada. "I've been through something traumatic, but I emerged from it even stronger."

Currently engaged and enjoying a successful career, Estrada states that she has moved on from the incident. However, on Trans Day of Remembrance, she acknowledges that the outcome could have been much worse.

"This day could have been about me," reflects Estrada. "Something far more terrible could have happened to me on that day."

Trans Day of Remembrance: Reflecting on Loss and Celebrating Trans Joy

Estrada said that she uses this day not only to reflect on loss, but to reflect on the LGBTQ+ figures who paved the way for trans people today — people like Marsha P. Johnson, Sylvia Rivera and Erica Andrews, she said, adding that she also uses this day to reflect on past versions of herself as well.

"I think it's remembering where you started, where you're at and where you're going," she said.

Rebekah feels similarly about Trans Day of Remembrance, which they say is an opportunity to elevate stories of trans joy and triumph.

"People need to see that trans folks are also changemakers; are also leaders; are also successful across all fields, across all industries, across all areas of life."

When asked how she will be spending Trans Day of Remembrance, Moore says, "I need to take time to really mourn some of the folks that I've lost recently, and just take time for myself as a Black trans woman... honor myself and the work that I'm doing."

"I think this year, I need some time for me."

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It has been nearly five months since Williamson's body was recovered. 

The two people he went to meet that day were both arrested and charged in his death, but that's not enough for Edwards. "These people still get to talk to their families on Christmas," she said.

"And we don't."