Presiding Bishop-Elect Mourns Transgender Teen
15-Year-Old Girl’s Brutal Murder Near Bishop’s Hometown Spotlights Need for Prayer & Advocacy
The Rt. Rev. Sean Rowe, Presiding Bishop-elect, shared the tragic news that the dismembered body of Pauly A. Likens Jr., who identified as transgender, was discovered at a reservoir near his hometown of Sharon, PA. A suspect, whom police say she met on a dating app, is in custody and has been charged with first-degree murder.
It is hard to overstate the horror of this situation. A young person whose 15th birthday passed while she was missing has been taken from us in the most brutal way imaginable. She is not the only transgender child of God to have been murdered, in our region or elsewhere, simply for being who they are. I fear these kinds of incidents are due, in part, to extremist political rhetoric that advocates oppression and discrimination against some of the most vulnerable members of our society.
– The Rt. Rev. Sean Rowe
Rowe called for the people of the dioceses of Northwestern Pennsylvania and Western New York, whom he serves as bishop until his investiture in November, to pray for the repose of Pauly’s soul and the comfort of her family, and remarked upon the vocations and gifts of transgender people serving at every level in the church. For more of his statement, please click here.
Violence against transgender people has exploded in recent years. Everytown for Gun Safety maintains a specific transgender homicide tracker which reported that annual murders against trans and gender-non-conforming people rose 93% between 2017 and 2021. Despite being just ~13% of the transgender population, 63% of the 282 people killed in that time have been Black women.
Last week, we hosted an informational session by Bridges4Life, a Black-trans-led organization which provides resources and services to black and brown TGNC (trans gender non-conforming) individuals aging out of the foster care system, as well those participating in survival sex work or seeking asylum.