“Meghan was Sparkly”
Photo by Benjamin Davis
“Her perspective was about finding that joy and creating spaces for others to find their joy.”
Lee Blinder, Trans Maryland
“I’ve buried, I think, 13 Trans siblings in the last five years. We have been the pallbearers for our community. We stand in solidarity. We want to make some noise. This is our injustice and our blood runs in the streets. Meghan was not just a statistic.”
Iya Dammons, Founder Baltimore Safe Haven
On December 27, 2023 the world lost another bright star that tried to light a path for humanity to follow. A path that we wish so many more people could see. But as with so many great stories in our world, this one ends tragically. I have thought this and I know so many others have had similar sentiments. The world seems to take so much good from us while the mediocre and bad seem to carry on. Many of us care and are empathetic to LGBTQ+ causes but how many of us are willing to take that next step? How many of us are willing to actually give some of our precious time? How many of us are willing to give some of our precious love?
Meghan Riley Lewis was a transgender woman who gave food, time, money and love to Baltimore Safe Haven, the state’s only full service and housing for the LGBTQ+ community. Last Christmas Meghan invited strangers into her home. She wanted to ease loneliness felt by some during the holidays. So many of us experience events that we must survive or endure while we live our lives, but to actually take that understanding and help others with similar experiences takes courage and strength. Meghan did not think twice, she just did.
Iya Dammons had this to say about her. “She made sure our kids were able to have a Christmas dinner, Thanksgiving dinner, whatever they needed to smile. She was always sending over sparkly things”.
She was described as always being there for people but on the night of December 27, she was killed. Allegedly by a man who was delivering food in the area. The police are not considering this as a hate crime at this time but with the way current events are playing out, it is hard not to think that it is a strong possibility. Another tragedy.
Lee Blinder of Trans Maryland described Riley as “an excellent collector of the folks who fall through the cracks in the system, who don’t have anyone else.” How many lives did Meghan save through their kindness? When will we finally learn that we are all humans? That we all share this world we live in.
Dammon again, “This will shift our conversation to what we are going to do to advocate more for the LGBTQ+ community. We used to be all about putting on a (Pride) parade but now we have to talk to kids in schools, talk to local police.” And more should be done. This is where we need to take a page from (wait for it) the religious right. The Christians played the long game and over time garnered enough support to overturn Roe v. Wade. Slowly but surely and step by step Christians built up their power base and bear in mind that this took years. They did not try for Senate seats or Governorships right away. The religious right started with local government like city councils and slowly but surely built up their power base. And over time, in the end, they accomplished their goals. We need to start our own movement now. Someday, I dream of a world with no more statistics.
